ROME – Dxc Technology, a leading US company in global technological services, has foreseen 5 evolutionary scenarios through which the automotive industry will reshape our relationship with the car over the next 5 years. The shift to software-defined vehicles (SDVs) is transforming the automotive industry, from how cars are designed to how they are built, to how they are used and serviced. Dxc and Luxoft (Dxc company), companies specializing in automotive software, have identified the 5 trends that are accelerating the most.
The first point highlights how the vehicle’s software will be as important as its logo, since tomorrow’s cars will be SDV vehicles, with features and functions controlled precisely by the software. “Sdvs will be known more for their user experience than for their physical characteristics – explains Matthias Bauhammer, global lead, robotic drive offering at DXC – The software will create a direct connection between the car manufacturer and the customer, allowing companies to be platform driven and to provide personalized services to customers through their vehicles. This data exchange will not be limited to a single car and its manufacturer. Mass data from millions of vehicles can be used to deliver smarter mobility services across an entire automotive ecosystem.
The second point concerns the car’s ability to renew itself and offer updates on request, practically as occurs with the implementation of smartphones through updates and new apps. According to experts, with vehicles increasingly software-defined and connected to the web, their ability to self-repair and self-renew will increase. The third aspect concerns the “Generation Z”, according to which the concept of owning a car may belong to the past as young people appreciate the convenience of the car but not the traditional model of ownership, typically expensive, high responsibility and little flexible. A different approach to mobility therefore consists in paying for a vehicle only when needed, perhaps through a subscription rental, car-sharing or peer-to-peer service.
The fourth point highlights the growing diffusion of the Internet of Things (IoT), thanks to which the connectivity integrated in cars will be used to transmit vehicle diagnostics in real time. Translated into practice, this means that the car will be able to arrange an appointment with a mechanic even before the user even realizes they have a problem.
Finally, the last point concerns the evolution of the role of hydrogen in powering electric vehicles so much so that according to experts, as vehicles become more and more software-defined, further development of fuel sources is foreseen alternatives also capable of making refueling faster.