5 Ways Vehicle Data Impacts the Mobility Ecosystem

The future of mobility is here, and it’s powered in large part by vehicle data. Data from connected vehicles delivers app developers and service providers with the information they need to innovate. The automotive ecosystem includes the vehicles themselves, road and traffic infrastructure, insurance, fleet management, and a range of services benefiting the average driver. Automotive connectivity enables vehicles to communicate data in real-time, providing the backbone for the emerging mobility ecosystem.

Increasing Road Safety

A central concern of car manufacturers and municipalities alike is increasing road safety and preventing traffic accidents. Automotive connectivity is revolutionizing safety by enabling the use of data for prevention and response.

• Weather and traffic hazard detection: Data from connected vehicles can detect and identify weather and traffic hazards, alerting municipalities and drivers so as to prevent traffic accidents. Real-time hazard data results in faster action, including clearing obstacles or adjusting routes and speed limits with dynamic signage.

• Preventative maintenance: Vehicle data helps prevent breakdowns and vehicle malfunction by keeping vehicles in good working order. Data about a vehicle’s health can be transmitted to fleet managers or individual drivers so they can schedule maintenance visits.

• Faster emergency response: Automotive connectivity enables vehicles to transmit data as to the location, seat belt and airbag status, accident specifics, and more, in real-time. This information is critical for emergency crews to respond faster and in a more prepared manner.

Improving Urban Parking

Connected vehicles are enabling urban parking solutions by providing both crowdsourced data that power parking apps and personal vehicle data to help customers find and pay for parking.

• Parking space identification: Crowdsourced data from ultrasonic parking sensors on connected vehicles can identify open spaces in parking lots and on city streets. Apps are able receive real-time sensor data so as to show users available parking spaces.

• Parking payments: Apps and services that have consent from users can use vehicle data to automate parking payments without manual confirmation from users. Vehicle data indicates the time of entry to and exit from a parking spot, enabling no-touch payments.

• Reduced congestion: Data from connected vehicles enables navigational apps to guide users to the nearest open spots, reducing congestion caused by drivers searching for parking.

Reducing Congestion with Real-Time Traffic Data

Real-time traffic data from connected cars is instrumental in traffic management. Smart cities are using vehicle data enabled intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to keep traffic moving smoothly and safely.

• Improved traffic planning: Traffic data from connected vehicles allows cities to understand the flows of traffic to better plan new infrastructure and public transportation routes.

• V2X connectivity: V2X  connectivity allows connected vehicles to communicate with infrastructure, vehicles, and pedestrians to increase road safety and reduce traffic congestion. Cities can utilize V2I capabilities to guide changes in dynamic street signs and other smart infrastructure.

• Reducing traffic slowdowns: Real-Time events data from connected cars can alert cities’ central traffic command stations of obstacles, hazards, or inclement weather so they can clear obstructions or suggest detours to prevent traffic slowdowns.

Paving the Way for the Electrification Revolution

Electric vehicles are designed with data in mind. These vehicles produce significant data, and they rely on automotive connectivity to help shape the ecosystem needed for their adaption.

• Charging infrastructure planning: Location Intelligence from historical traffic data will aid in planning new charging station locations based on where EV drivers are located, where they tend to travel, and on which routes their batteries start to drain.

• Simplified trip routing: Data from connected EVs can power services that improve the customer experience and ease range anxiety. Information about vehicles’ location and state of charge can be used by apps to send alerts to drivers, direct them to the nearest charging station, and help plan the most efficient routes.

• Policy updates: Currently, roads are typically funded through fuel taxes. The influx of EVs is expected to reduce the tax income used to repair infrastructure. More countries and municipalities are considering shifting their tax model to one based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT), as determined by vehicle data. This will provide an accurate, real-time analysis of the road usage of both EVs and ICE vehicles.

Enabling Innovative Insurance

Automotive insurance companies benefit from vehicle data from connected cars by making better decisions and finding new ways to serve their customers.

• Better actuarial decisions: Traffic data from connected cars is a treasure trove when it comes to powering actuarial decisions. Insurers can study billions of datapoints depicting driver behavior, hazards, environmental factors, and more in their assessment of risk.

• Usage-based insurance: Automotive connectivity enables insurers to offer user based insurance. With driver consent, insurance companies can access vehicle data to offer short term insurance based on the time a vehicle is used or the number of miles driven. This use case is especially useful for shared mobility.

• Personalized service: Vehicle data from consenting drivers can be used to adjust rates to reward good driving and help insurance companies understand the specifics of incidents to better handle claims.

Do you have an app or service in need of vehicle data or are you interested in learning more about vehicle data?

Test drive our platform with a 30 day free trial or speak to a data expert.