Big Data Analytics and In-Vehicle Connectivity for Fleet Management
There’s a common refrain about Big Data and connected vehicles: “There’s a lot of potential, but we need to be able to process more data.” In fact, we do not need terabytes of data from connected vehicles for data to be useful in multiple applications. One potential market is fleet management. The best news? We already have the technology to make it happen.
Many people believe that it would be too difficult to build fleet management functionality into the vehicle. The fact is it is already there. Most of the hardware components necessary for this functionality are already built into today’s cars.
Fleet management and the aftermarket device problem
Right now, there are many devices and software applications to handle fleet management functions. That is, in fact, precisely the problem. Instead of getting an integrated solution, fleet managers have to work with multiple systems to get the functionality they need for tracking and managing commercial vehicles.
This can end up having major effects on fleets. More devices means more maintenance requirements, more installation costs, and more opportunities for something to go wrong. The proliferation of devices isn’t just costly but can actually prevent fleets from operating at maximum efficiency.
We could clearly do fleet management better if we built this functionality directly into vehicles. For OEM manufacturers, this is a real opportunity. Aftermarket fleet management devices and associated functions represent a $34 billion market. Automakers can successfully tap into this market with the right approach.
Why we already have the hardware we need
Many people believe that it would be too difficult to build fleet management functionality into the vehicle. The fact is we already have the technological capacity to do just that. Most of the hardware components necessary for this functionality are already built into today’s cars.
So, it’s not really necessary to add new hardware. We just need to upload the software updates and deliver cloud storage and dashboard that meets the needs of fleet operators. The pieces to embed a highly secure vehicle tracking system are already there. We know how to establish secure connectivity to the cloud. It’s just a matter of putting it all together to create a usable system.
Fleet managers want this kind of functionality in their vehicles. They don’t want to keep fussing with aftermarket devices. Automakers should deliver on this.
