8th April 2020: India is at the cusp of becoming the most populous country which has the capacity to evolve as one of the largest automobile industry in the world. According to a survey, 4.4 million passenger cars and commercial vehicles were sold in India in 2018. With the increasing population and number of vehicles, the need of upgraded technology with better communication and connectivity, is also expanding.
The telematics technology broadly focuses on the long-distance transmission and is specialized branch of the internet of things (IoT) which monitors and shares useful information about the status, behavior and movement of vehicles.
Today, people want to extend the connectivity and communication not only in mobile phones but also in their vehicles which results in flourishing telematics technologies. Telematics has adequacy in providing two way wireless communications, geographic positions, controlling system and interface to electronic systems.
The navigation/ Routing and content services are also needs to be developed with the growth of telematics development which can make cars, trucks, planes, and boats much more smarter than they’ve ever been.
Although India has achieved milestones and has capability in every aspect, the biggest challenge for automotive industry is to design a system that is suitable for usage within vehicles and develop a system that does not excessively distract the driver from the primary task of driving.
Furthermore, telematics collects a lot of data. Few of the many data points are Distance traveled, speed, fault codes, fuel usage, idling, and harsh braking. The government needs to ensure cyber security so that both the commercial and government fleets keep their sensitive or private data secured.
The development of telematics can also provide auto-analyze videos to identify risks and make coaching recommendations proactively. It will allow fleet managers to coach more drivers in lesser time, potentially resulting in a safer fleet of drivers.
Additionally, the telematics development will not only provide data security, connectivity and geographic position but will also help in vehicular electrification.
The future needs to be green with autonomous vehicles be fully petroleum free. This next generation of engines not only cut pollution but will also see fleet maintenance undertaken at speed, as managers will be able to go deeper into the engine than ever before. Operators will also be able to plan with full logistics procedures and maintenance of fleets on one click of a button; reducing risk, pollution, delays and cost.
Today, fleet operators are also concentrating on saving energy, ensuring safety measures and ensuring business models which can reduce Total Cost of Operations (TCO), which encompasses acquisition cost, operational cost and depreciation. This is where the availability of connectivity can help providers of telematics service.
Demand for technology that enables safety, information, navigation and remote diagnostics is on the upswing in the ‘School bus’ segment also. Features like monitoring driving patterns, tracking location of the bus, accounting harsh braking and driving, RFID sensing for kids, security checks and assuring the parents security by keeping a record of location are also needed in future innovations and developments in telematics technologies.
Vehicles are rapidly changing. In addition to the historical driving-related functions, it has become a platform for various services and devices. Some of these are involved in the driving task and can boost the ease, comfort, and safety. Others are unrelated to driving and allow the driver to enlist in various activities while driving. The aging of the driving population and the tendency of older people in many parts of the world to continue driving for as long as possible pose big barriers regarding the design of such devices and their installing procedures in cars.
However, the combination of IoT development, mobile app development, data development and cloud development can overcome the market challenges in the highly complex field of connected vehicle telematics. Also, through predictive analysis and comprehensive operational insights, vehicle telematics can give fleets a competitive edge to maintain and strengthen their positions in the market. It is safe to say that fleet management is near to impossible without vehicular telematics development.