Understanding Your Car - Connected Cars

It goes without saying that technology is a very integral part of our lives. Technology has made the lives of humans easy and we depend on it for a multitude of functions we carry out in our day to day lives. The arrival of the internet has not only brought the world closer but has also shown us how important technology has become and the benefits we humans can attain from it. Connected cars are more popular worldwide than they ever were…we are going to tell you how connected cars are changing the way we drive, own cars.

A connected car is one that has its own internet connection and shares the connectivity, data with both internal (for e.g. car computers, infotainment system) and external (for e.g. smartphones, other cars) devices. A connected car shares the same via a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). While connected car technology might be very popular in recent years, the world’s first connected car system was introduced in 1996. American car giant General Motors (GM) in collaboration with Motorola Automotive introduced OnStar the world’s first connected car system. OnStar made its debut in 1996 Cadillac DeVille, Seville, and Eldorado as a connected car system with the primary objective of ensuring passenger safety and getting emergency services to a vehicle during an accident situation. In case of an accident, the OnStar system would call the nearest emergency call centers using cellular telephone calls and nearby network towers. Connected cars over the years have evolved a great deal over the years. While safety and emergency rescue are very important and life-saving features…modern connected car systems also use a whole host of features and services such as car diagnostics, fuel efficiency, remote engine-on/off, etc. to aid the car owner.

Humans have leveraged technology to make driving, owning a car very easy and hassle-free. Connected cars allow for a better human, car interaction with the use of technology. Connected cars use smartphone apps to control various system functions and features. Internet connectivity and access are a must for a connected car system to function. A majority of the connected car systems have inbuilt internet by way of a 4G sim card configured within the car. Connected cars have features which fall under the following categories –

1.  Infotainment: Music, podcasts, internet radio, Bluetooth, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, voice command, etc.
2. Safety: Roadside assistance, emergency response, safety warnings, traffic and accident warnings.
3. Diagnostics: This involves various car diagnostic functions such as – fuel efficiency, car health, system failure alerts (battery, engine, air conditioning, etc.), parking assistance and apps, remote assistance features.
4. Navigation: Maps and GPS Navigation, traffic alerts, weather alerts, geo-fencing, geo-tagging, parking space alerts.

Hyundai, Kia, and MG Motor have been offering connected car systems for their cars in India. Hyundai’s Blue Link and Kia’s UVO Connect are amongst the popular ones in the country. Both these systems are operated by a smartphone app which needs to be downloaded on your phone and linked to the car system. Using the app, a car owner can not only start the car remotely without being seated inside but also start the air conditioning to the desired temperature! Know that’s some great convenience! Functions such as remote locking/unlocking, setting a perimeter warning, anti-theft warning amongst many others can be controlled via the smartphone app. We bet you have been in this situation…you go to a mall, park your car in the huge basement parking lot and forget where you had parked your car in the first place when you return! If you have a car with connected features you have no need to worry…just use the app to make the car honk and flash its lights – Voila! Your car is found!

Connected cars are here to stay and will only further enhance the driving, user experience of the car. AI, Machine Learning and other technology will also play a great role in enhancing, improving this experience in order to make cars safer to drive and easier to communicate with. Hence, closing the gap between humans and their cars by leveraging the power of technology.