FUTURE IS OF CONNECTED CARS BUT THERE ARE CHALLENGES

With connected features, cars provide more than just transportation services. But there’s much work to be done on eliminating challenges facing the technology

HT Auto

Cars are no longer just used as machines that take us from one place to another. With technological advancements and the advent of electronic components, computers and software in vehicles, connected features and services inside cars have become increasingly popular. With assistance from the Internet of Things (IoT), connected cars are driving the future of the automobile industry and have brought a paradigm shift in the industry.

Earlier, the connected features inside cars were like crown jewels worn only by luxury cars but now these have started trickling down to more affordable vehicles and have started becoming common for even compact and basic models. Connected features in vehicles usually include vehicle controls, digital displays, the ability to make emergency and breakdown calls, driving behaviour analysis, over-the-air software update capability, and voice recognition among other advanced features. Some of these features available in cars are even developed by third parties, while some others are the OEM’s in-house technologies.

With increase in such models in the Indian car market, customers have welcomed the wide-ranging features offered by connected cars, and there is a lot of potential for the segment to grow. While these technologies provide new and convenient experiences to users and open new revenue generation path for OEMs, they also come with some challenges and downsides that still need some work. Here are some factors related to connected cars that could pose a challenge for users as well as OEMs.

COMPLEXITY AROUND SUBSCRIPTION

Subscription related complexities remain a critical issue with connected cars. As these cars usually come with car as a service platform, various subscription costs are often passed down to the consumers. With the expenses related to service subscriptions, consumers often shy away from using a feature if they don’t consider it worth the money. This often results in a cancelled plan and revenue loss for the automaker.

CONNECTIVITY COMPLEXITY Connectivity remains another critical challenge for connected cars. The connection quality, geography, chosen communication service provider and connectivity performance are some key elements that define the experience of a user.

DATA MANAGEMENT

Connected cars are similar to the other connected consumer tech products. Hence, these vehicles can be dubbed as connected devices on wheels. Data management and profiling have become highly crucial for OEMs and service providers. Connected cars using infotainment functions come with a different pattern of data consumption than the vehicles leveraging advanced assisted driving features. Managing these wide varieties of data sets and profiling them in a scalable manner is crucial.

DATA SECURITY

Data security has become a concern for consumers in the last few years. With the rise of connected cars that are consuming a colossal amount of data related to consumer behaviour and location, it is very important that the automakers pay attention to safeguard the data.

TO ACCORDING RESEARCH A 10% OF REPORT, ONLY OEMS AUTOMOTIVE THE HAVE A CURRENTLY CYBERSECURITY DEDICATED CONNECTED TEAM. WITH SOFTWARE, RELYING ON CARS SECURITYRELATED THE DATA NEED CONCERNS ON ADDRESSED TO BE PRIORITY