When we hear about connected cars, our mind immediately goes to fully autonomous cars, those that in the future will transport us to our destination without the need to be driven and, probably, even without a real driving seat. Cars that will reach us where we need them, which will take us independently to our destination and then go to park somewhere, also taking the opportunity to recharge the batteries and be ready for the next trip.
The truth is that already today about 45% of the cars circulating in Italy are “connected”, in the sense that they are equipped with a data connection capable of receiving and transmitting information of various kinds and using them for various purposes. The total connected car market in Italy today is already over one billion euros and can only grow in the future because by now very few vehicles leave the factories without being equipped with sensors capable of collecting data, processing to transform them into something useful in the vehicle and a connection capable of transmitting them elsewhere.
This sector is in constant growth, think for example that the global market for connected cars will reach 198 billion euros in 2025 and that the market for software applied to vehicles will grow by 250% by 2030.
In a world that is moving fast from the Internet of Things paradigm to the Internet of Everything (everything will be connected to the Internet network), connected vehicles represent, and will increasingly represent in the future, a part of this universe of connected objects. We are not talking only of smartphones, computers and tablets, but above all of sensors and actuators scattered almost everywhere in the places we frequent: factory sensors to enable predictive maintenance, cameras to increase our safety, environmental sensors to enable smart projects city, wearable devices to monitor our health and, of course, connected cars. The interesting thing is that the data produced, consumed and managed by connected vehicles will not only serve the purposes strictly related to the car, but can also be used for countless other purposes, thanks to the integration with complex digital ecosystems that will allow to generate value from data that is collected and managed even in completely different areas.
Driver and passenger health data
Through the sensors on board the vehicle and the wearable personal sensors that can be connected with it, it will be easier and easier to collect a large amount of health data and vital parameters of the people inside the car.
With these data it will be possible to verify the suitability to drive and the levels of tiredness and attention, in order to prevent the vehicle from being set in motion if there are no safety conditions. Similarly, in the event of an emergency, rescuers can be alerted in total autonomy by putting the rescuers in direct contact, if necessary, with the treating doctor to whom the patient’s health data will be periodically sent. The same dangerous situation can be signaled to the vehicles connected in the area, in order to minimize the risk of an accident and to obtain a quicker help if necessary.
A safer world
The sensors on board the car, including microphones and cameras, can be used as extensions of the security systems of our neighborhoods, increasing the surveillance capacity and the quality of the prevention of some crimes.
It will also be possible to send automatic alerts to the police or to rescuers in case crimes or dangerous situations are intercepted.
It is possible that this use of technology could also act as a deterrent to some types of crime or dangerous behavior, but it will be essential to protect people’s privacy and avoid facial recognition algorithms which, as we have seen in this article, in some cases could create more harm than good for the population.
Parking more easily
The data coming from the vehicles, and the sensorization of large areas of our cities, will allow a complete and real-time coverage of parking availability. These data will flow directly into our navigator and will be able to guide us, with good reliability, towards that parking lot which in some areas today represents a real mirggio. In the case of paid parking, automatic remote booking will also be possible, in order to be sure to find the available space, and to pay. All without having to do other than park.
Parking in urban center parking lots will be completely automated, the “blue stripes” will no longer represent a problem between parking meters, scratch-offs and different apps to be used in different contexts. The car will take care to report the stop to the systems that will manage that area as soon as we leave it in a paid area. At the end of the stop the car will take care of making the payment automatically and sending us our digital receipt.
Pay
Payment for services such as tolls, parking, washing, fuel or electric charging will take place completely automatically using the payment systems that we will have associated with the vehicle, just like today we associate a credit card with our smartphone. In the same way, other value-added services can be acquired to be used on board, such as multimedia content, but also outside the vehicle, such as tickets for the event to which we will be traveling or the shopping that we will collect in “drive- in”.
It will be very important to ensure complete integration with third-party systems, so that the car can become not only an environment for using content and services, but also a payment tool to be used as a credit card pit. A topic that cannot be neglected in any way is that of cybersecurity, large volumes of data entering and exiting the vehicle will be a coveted prey for the bad guys, it will therefore be essential to take care of security in a maniacal way.
The forecasts on the connected car are extremely positive, it must be said that by 2025, according to this report by GSMA, it is expected that connected cars will contribute every year to save 11,000 lives, to avoid 260,000 accidents, to avoid releasing 400,000 into the atmosphere. tons of carbon dioxide and to save us 280 million driving hours.
So the connected vehicle is welcome, waiting for the completely autonomous one.