The Connected Vehicle Wave is coming, or is it here?

There will be two huge waves of innovation in the automotive market driven by innovation, connectivity advancements, machine learning, applications (infotainment, diagnostics, and personal experiences), and machine intelligence. The first wave, which is what we are experiencing now but are just breaking the ice is  "The Connected Vehicle" wave. Imagine a vehicle that ...

• Automatically starts for you not just by your smartphone but a schedule you set up for the week
• A heating/AC unit in your vehicle that senses the existing climate and weather conditions and auto-adjusts to 72 degrees wherever you are and by knowing your route
• Using voice automation reads you the weather, recites your audio book where you left off the night before, plays your favorite news or music
• Schedules your Discount Tire appointment automatically (because your tire tread is getting low) with your calendar on your phone and asks for confirmation
• Streams TV and movies by voice request you already pay for at your home (cable/SAT TV), but sends them to the 2nd row headrests and/or tablets your kids are using
• Reviews current and ongoing traffic conditions and auto-routes and suggests changes to your drive into the office
• Using Amazon Echo/Alexa, Google Home, Siri, Cortana, etc you are able to search for favorite restaurants and community information as you are driving, in a safe and secure manner
• Before entering into a busy parking lot, your vehicle is routed to the parking spot that is available instead of you driving all around to find parking
• Autopay for gas as you drive up to the gas station and sensors can detect the amount of fuel you get, and autocharge you
• Biometrics or a quick scan of your eye (iris) confirms you are approved to drive the vehicle you are in, keeping those pesky teenage children of yours to not take the car out for a late night spin
• With a click of a button, you are able to schedule auto detailing and car wash services while you are at a hair appointment (Services on demand, where you are)
• The camera system all around your vehicle documents your travels, incidents, and helps you lower your insurance rates
• Your vehicle begins to learn your favorite places, activities, entertainment, and routes and helps you make better decisions and recommendations based on that

The vehicles we are driving now (most of them) do not have LTE or WiFi, but many of those driving off of the car lots today will and that opens up the door for endless possibilities. Yes, the handheld devices we use today will be an interface to the vehicle and the applications, but the car will be a connected device as well. The vehicle will also be a hub of applications for work, home, life, and play. Developers have open doors to create and generate experiences that allow for personalized services, intuitive experiences, and intelligent vehicles. Bringing together technology and our busy lives is what makes this wave so exciting. We all lead such busy lives, and activities to enhance and improve our day-to-day (and even our security and safety), especially our long commutes, car pools, and the way we do life is what technology is all about.

Some of the biggest names are playing in this market...connected vehicle, connected cars, smart cars, automated vehicles, etc. Amazon, AT&T, Blackberry, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and Sierra Wireless just to name a few are major players in this industry, along with every major automotive manufacturer. 

Recent and related news for further reading:

• Tata Motors, Microsoft ink deal for connected cars
• Four ways the connected car will change banking
• Uber, Intel and IoT firms join coalition to secure connected cars
• NHTSA proposed rule aims to accelerate connected vehicle tech

​

Next week we will talk about the second wave, autonomous vehicles. Stay tuned...
​