A majority of car manufacturers today have a model of connected car. How these cars communicate with their environment, however, is evolving per manufacturer and with time; first generation BMW smart cars once embedded its own SIM card to power basic connectivity functions like emergency calling, navigation, infotainment apps, and remote vehicular data access; now, like other smart cars on the market, BMW not only runs smartphone devices on its dashboard but also leverages software and hardware companies to provide smart car drivers seamless connectivity services from infotainment to navigation.
Integrated solutions for intelligent cars
Car manufacturers today often mention Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Play to attract customers. Volvo, for example, recently announced that its VNL semi trucks will integrate CarPlay, as did Honda for its 2018 Fit models and Hyundai for its 2018 Sonatas. More specifically, they are referring to a vehicle’s ability to run in-dash smartphone apps like iTunes and Google Map; in essence, the connected car’s embedded software is programmed to connect to a smartphone’s network and applications to provide vehicle-authorized services. For example, drivers might use CarPlay or Autoplay to guide them to the nearest gas station or answer driving-related questions without taking their eyes off the road.
More car manufacturers are also integrating cloud solutions to their existing connected car platform. In BMW’s case, the company partnered with IBM to make important driving data available to authorized third-parties like auto insurance companies and repair shops and deliver cloud-based tools and services in its next generation cars.
The partnership will lead to “security, transparency and control over data from your own car, combined with the many benefits of customized services,” stated BMW spokesman Peter Schwarzenbauer. It will also open the door for institutes to analyze connected vehicle data like mileage, fuel consumption, and driving behavior to further improve connected car functionalities.
End-to-end connectivity solutions
Connected car manufacturers are increasingly working with end-to-end smart car solution providers for more seamless connectivity. Harman is one of the leading companies that offers car manufacturers a platform-based design, with services including LTE, Bluetooth, and WiFi for Telematics and internet access; screen mirroring framework for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto Play, or MirrorLink; advanced climate control and safety diagnostics. To date, 24 brands of smart cars use Harman’s platform for their car’s connectivity needs, including Audi, BMW, Chrysler, and Toyota.
Connectivity of autonomous cars
Autonomous cars self-driving capability puts them into their own category; the strategy behind their connectivity isn’t much different from the rest of the smart car market, though the components are more complex.
Chrysler’s self-driving Pacifica, Toyota’s autonomous Prius, Lexus self-driving run on a third-party platform called Waymo. Like Harman, the Google-owned Waymo platform integrates software and hardware to give its cars connectivity. It also builds special sensors onto onto the car so it can precisely detect distance and recognize objects; lasers are used to map out distant objects for short, medium, and long distances and is what the autonomous car uses to judge distances; rooftop sensors scan 360 degrees around the car for surrounding objects; cameras are embedded to recognize shapes like construction cones from miles away; and radars help the vehicle see all of the above through rough driving conditions like fog, rain, and snow.
Take Waymo’s latest self-driving car project, the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid minivan, for example. Thanks to Waymo’s custom-built hardware, vision system, artificial intelligence compute platform, and 3 million miles of on-the-road data, the minivan can make out objects from two football fields away, predict whether a vehicle or cyclist is about to make a left turn and make the appropriate decision to ensure safe self-driving.
Connectivity solutions quickening smart cars time to market
Though today’s intelligent cars rely on external devices like an iPhone or Android smartphone, auto companies are integrating more software and hardware elements to create innovative connected cars. Companies that offer end-to-end automotive intelligence solutions are becoming more prominent for car manufacturers to quicken next-generation cars time to market. Moreover, leading solution providers like Waymo has made it easier and safer for OEMs to deliver autonomous connected cars; all the prospective manufacturer has to say is “OK, Google.”
