As Vehicles Lead In A Future That Is Becoming Increasingly Connected

Our world is becoming more and more connected with technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), which are rapidly advancing and bringing innovation at every stage of the journey. Mobility has been central as one of the main beneficiaries of these achievements.

In a sea of ​​smart home devices and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, developing smart mobility as Connected Vehicle Data (CVD) are some of the most promising as they provide a tangible vision of not only the future of cars but also urban infrastructure, retail business, global supply networks and everything in between.

How can connected vehicle data be so significant? First, let’s establish what this data is, where they come from and what they do today.

How does the connected car data work?

If you don’t drive in a vintage style, chances are your car is already capable of getting valuable information and results that perform a vital function for drivers and society at large. This information ranges from braking data to engine running time to specific traffic patterns, drawing a complete picture of vehicle performance, driver behavior, and how a single traffic flow is fed by these individual inputs.

Related cars are born from the use of this data, which is transmitted to their automaker directly from each car. The data is then analyzed by internal or external data scientists to convey information and valuable real-time adjustments to traffic flow and more.

It all sounds like a very effective technology, but for the average person there is still considerable ground to feel its impact in everyday life (both on the road and off the car). The most common failure today? Most car manufacturers do not use the same data languages, leaving petabytes of data that cannot be understood by the entire market for greater advantage.

Awareness of the benefits of CVD analytics is already growing – as is the pool of connected vehicles that inform automakers, governments and ordinary businesses. In Wejo alone, we collected and analyzed data on more than 66.8 billion trips from approximately 12 million active connected vehicles.

More broadly, Statistician reports that as of 2021, there are already 84 million connected cars on U.S. roads, and by 2035 this number is projected to grow to 305 million. This exponential increase in raw data output will require an exponentially larger support infrastructure, but may have an exponentially larger day -day benefits at the same time.

What are the benefits?

Today we see a microcosm of connected road experiences around the world. From government transportation departments to road management firms, data on connected cars already presents several uses and benefits, including:

• Light congestion during peak trips thanks to optimized traffic light time signals with real-time updates based on the flow of vehicles on different sections of the city’s roads.
• Increased safety and less accident risk resulting in communication between connected vehicles and cloud communications services that can alert drivers to existing accidents and potential risks such as road works, fallen trees and more.
• Emission reductions directly as a result of facilitating traffic and, consequently, reducing travel time and the number of vehicles idling at any given time.
• Opportunities to increase business visibility based on data showing peak time en route through specific corridors, allowing businesses to customize business hours or advertising strategies to reach the highest number of drivers during the day.

Data on connected cars also contribute to the development of more promising technologies such as autonomous vehicles (AV) and electric vehicles (EV), which will lead to greater benefits for drivers in the future. For example, machine learning systems are actively working today, helping artificial intelligence cars become smarter and better adapted to unique road situations.

As for electrification, the range and charging infrastructure have long been a sore point for apprehensive consumers. With connected vehicle data, car manufacturers and charging suppliers can customize car design elements and charging locations to optimize energy consumption for more efficient travel.

Looking ahead

Virtually every new car today is a connected car that contributes to a larger network of connected devices and machines that will change our lives (for the better) in the near future. What will it look like?

First, the vehicles we use will become more intelligent and programmatically definedenjoying advanced vehicle architectures and peripheral computing capabilities to make every journey safer, less stressful and more sustainable. From sophisticated sensors that monitor the vehicle and its surroundings, to new power units and impressions in the car, the connection and connected data of the vehicle underlie these achievements.

Smart mobility and connected vehicles in particular will have a broad effect outside the driver’s seat of the car. Combined with new innovations that might otherwise be placed in certain verticals, we can quickly see a vast ecosystem where connected vehicles help make our cities smarter, our businesses more profitable, and our travel more convenient, safe and enjoyable.

Sarah Larner is Wejo’s Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation.