Car troubles? Pitstop is your virtual technician
AI innovation can track maintenance needs of vehicles
As a teenager, Shiva Bhardwaj spent a lot of time in his father’s auto service centre. Today he has taken that experience — along with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Waterloo — to come up with an AI-inspired virtual technician solution for dealers and mechanics.
The Pitstop solution includes a device that can be plugged into a car’s “brain” through the OBD2 port and integrates with a mobile app, artificial intelligence and telematics, to continually monitor and report vehicle data. (All cars built since 1996 have an OBD2 port, which is used by repair shops for diagnostics and testing.) Pitstop can then predict and communicate vehicle failures and maintenance needs to the driver and the service centre in real time.
Pitstop wasn’t Bhardwaj’s first idea. That was a mechanical safety device called ShockLock for keeping open car hoods from falling on mechanics. It is still being sold worldwide.
That led to an invitation in 2015 to present to Bill Ford at an event in Detroit showcasing how technology can benefit the auto industry. “I presented on the future of connected maintenance,” he says. “I questioned why a person leaving a physical service centre could not learn how or why their car might be failing.”
The next thing he knew, he was invited to join Techstars Mobility Program, where he spent four months. By 2016 Pitstop was ready to launch.
Bhardwaj is now at Toronto’s Infiniti Lab smart-city innovation initiative, where he and his team continue to refine the technology and build their network.
Another cohort member is Drven, a mobile diagnostic app that grew out of discussions with a collision-repair customer. But cofounder and CEO David AlleyneMartin came at things from a different perspective, having spent 15 years in the mobile telecom space.
“Coming from a telecom background, I saw automotive in the same light. Here was the smartphone, a great new device that had incredible power. If you could connect that to your car — which is simply a large computer — there would be so much functionality.”
Since the OBD2 is the connection to all internal systems in a vehicle, he says, “we saw an opportunity to liberate data locked in the car. You can find out what a ‘check engine’ light really means and how to get it fixed, as well as book an appointment directly through the app.”
Given that cars represent the second-largest household expense and the largest recurring one, Alleyne-Martin says this type of information can help drivers make decisions on which repairs make economic sense. “It’s like a Fitbit for the car. It doesn’t do that much, but it gives you the information you need to change your behaviour or do something about fixing it.”
Diagnostic solutions will also provide invaluable data that can be applied to smart-city planning to relieve congestion and reduce environmental impact, he believes. “If you can let someone know the most fuel-efficient way to drive or find the shortest route, it will help the environment. The data we feed back to a smart city can even help in municipal planning.”
While an Internet of Things device that plugs into a car’s OBD2 port may not have the wow factor of autonomous vehicles in the AI spectrum, Sunil Sharma, managing partner with Extreme Venture Partners in Toronto, says mobile apps in automotive can deliver considerable cost savings as well as improve overall quality of life. “With an OBD2 connection, you could even run your own Drive Clean test and upload the data to the Ministry. The cost savings would be significant.”
Apps can also help build customer loyalty, he adds. “Most profit margins at dealerships are on the service side, so there’s a strong desire for customer retention. These are a good way to maintain that loyalty. Not only that, apps like these will let you reach out and book appointments based on availability.”
These innovations are only the beginning of what the industry can expect, Sharma says. He sees opportunities in areas such as shared car usage, fleet management and autonomous driving. “Once we get into autonomous vehicles, this diagnostic capability could mean cars can book their own appointments and take themselves in for servicing.”