Step one in innovation is a great idea; that said, ideas are a dime a dozen. True success come teams who can execute. Execution requires patience, stamina, and persistence, as well as the right tools and infrastructure. In the automotive ecosystem, car data is opening up new opportunities for entrepreneurs and companies to execute their great ideas.
Vehicle data such as vehicle location, engine status, driving direction, and car acceleration is transmitted from millions of connected cars. When it is aggregated, reshaped and analyzed, developers and innovators can use it to create advanced apps and services for drivers.
Here are five innovating, on-demand car services available for drivers, today.
1. Roadside Assistance from an App
Roadside assistance on-demand enables drivers to immediately access towing assistance, from an app. Help is offered by service vehicles, operating in partnership with the company. This innovation is turning a traditional service into an agile one – communication and payment take place quickly and easily through an app, and service is delivered on-demand.
These services would be even more advanced with the integration of car data. Gaining remote access to data regarding vehicle health (e.g. error codes, tire pressure, fuel level) can determine the type of service required, which equipment is needed and the exact location for sending a service truck. The driver might not even know what the problem is, but the car data would! This can make a huge difference, and turn a bad day into a not as difficult one.
2. Fueling Delivered to Your Car
Quite a few companies around the globe already offer innovative on-demand fueling services. These companies enable drivers to call fueling services to the location of their choice, from an app. A fueling service provider then arrives at the car, fills the tank, and the driver is alerted when fueling is complete. These companies aren’t limited to fuel and some are even offering cleaning services and oil changes.
Additional car data could be incorporated in these services to enhance them. Downstream actions to remotely unlock doors and hatches could easily solve the biggest pain point today: the fuel hatch, as drivers are required to remember to leave it open or to be present. Triggering lights to flash and the horn to honk could be added for security measures.
In addition, monitoring gas levels could enable these companies to be proactive by facilitating automated filling services offer to customers – instead of having the driver request a fill-up when she or he sees fit, the app? would be prompted to do so. For example, an alert could pop up when the fuel level falls under 15%.
3. Car Washing at the Driver’s Location
Drivers can enjoy car washing and oil changing services, at the location of their choice and at the time of their choice. Instead of having to drive all the way to a car wash, while incorporating the task into their schedule, a washer arrives at the car location and washes it there. Then, payment is processed through the app.
Incorporating car data like VIN, GPS and controlling Remote Lock/Unlock augments these services, by enabling a car wash without the driver being present at the vehicle. For example, a driver could order an external and internal car wash from a meeting, get an alert when doors need to be opened, unlock them remotely, and lock them again when the washer completes the cleaning.
4. Online Car Rental Pickup
Some apps today enable reserving and picking up a car rental, without requiring the driver to stand in line to wait for the car keys or for the representative to locate the car reservation. First, the driver orders the car online. Then, she or he goes to the parking lot and unlocks the car through the app. This method saves time and work, and makes car renting more flexible and easier.
VIN, GPS, Timestamp and controlling Remote Lock/Unlock all enable operating such a service for the driver, by directing her or him to the correct car and letting them commence driving. Car data like fuel level and engine status can be useful for fleet management, for monitoring when a tank needs to be filled and the car’s maintenance status.
5. In-car Delivery
In-car delivery of items purchased online is a growing service. The packages are delivered to the customer’s car trunk, without requiring the driver to be present or to leave the vehicle open. Thus, package safety is ensured, and drivers get peace of mind that their purchase was delivered to them personally.
In-car services are made possible thanks to connected cars, that enable making vehicles a prime real estate for e-commerce delivery and storage. By using data such as VIN, location and remote lock/unlock, delivery services can locate the exact car, open it and lock it again.
According to our consumer survey, 44% of American drivers are interested in an app that allows deliveries to their vehicle’s trunk. Therefore, startups and companies that choose to innovate in these areas, will encounter a market that already has an appetite for the service.
Using Car Data to Provide Driver Services
With car data, companies and startups can provide exceptional driver experience services without having to be reliant on the information drivers provide. Manual data provision could be lacking critical information or be inaccurate. Using car data generated from the vehicles themselves ensures accuracy, completeness and consistency, and enables quicker service delivery.
Companies engaging in these services are pioneers. They are driving the industry forward by implementing data from cars and using it for driver services. As the automotive ecosystem keeps growing, and connected cars become more widespread, startups will have even more data to incorporate into their apps. By starting the development of services today, startups can grow their market footprint, begin customer acquisition and learn this new ecosystem and its abilities and opportunities.
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