Connected cars need faster technologies
Let’s imagine that starting tomorrow everybody will own connected cars, and will drive them to work. Please ignore the fact that this does not sound legit (at least for now). The number one feature of these smart cars is that they will be able to communicate with each other, as people do on the phone.
And here comes the challenge. While we have pretty good connectivity for phone calls, connected cars will have to develop much smarter and more advanced technologies that could cover much larger areas and possible situations.
People want to stay connected even when they’re in their car
A connected car offers more than a regular car. Its main benefits are being safe, secure, bringing more comfort to the driver, and it also has the latest technologies integrated into it.
We are already dependent on technology, but consumers always want more. Constant connectivity on the go is what was missing in this equation. According to IHS, while today we have 36 million cars that are connected to the Internet, by 2020 there will be more than 150 million connected cars on the road that will have access to the Internet.
The trend for cars today is to have a powerful computer dashboard. Auto manufacturers will increasingly focus on making the car smart and connected, as opposed to powerful in terms of speed and acceleration.
In the near future, buyers will no longer buy a car for its powerful engine, but for its connectivity features.
M2M connectivity platforms
The Machine 2 Machine feature is what makes it possible for cars to communicate with other cars around them. This calls for a lot of sensors and processors, so that the information is transmitted in real time, and is also as accurate as possible.
3G and 4G/LTE are the most used technologies for in-car connectivity. The technology is changing faster than ever, and 2G services will soon no longer exist.
John Horn, EVP and Chief Strategy Officer of KORE Wireless Group, says that connected cars are the ones that use LTE technology the most, and the number of cars that use it will increase as more smart cars hit the roads.
The LTE technology offers a high bandwidth network, and also high speed for receiving information. 3G is slowly starting to fade away. Almost everyone has given up 3G for 4G, even on their smartphones. Who knows – maybe soon enough we’ll be hearing about 5G.
Visteon, unveiling a vehicle with Verizon’s LTE Multicast technology
The LTE technology was presented at CES in the beginning of January. It is proven to deliver content to connected cars much faster, and “this network technology optimizes network resources to reach many vehicles simultaneously.”
Visteon worked with Verizon and tested the product in different locations before releasing it. The connected vehicle also has a rear seat infotainment system. This LTE multicast is definitely an exciting step towards machine 2 machine connectivity.
Connected cars will take over the world by 2022
And I mean this in the best possible way. We have the roads, we have the cars, so what’s left? The connectivity and all the technology that’s behind it reaching a point where it can gather all the data that’s needed for a connected car to safely be on the roads and know when it hits obstacles.
Connected cars prove the fact that there are always a lot more things behind the curtain than one can imagine, and you only meet with those particular issues when you start working on them.
I am confident that 2015 will be an exciting year, and that a lot of progress will be made in the direction of developing faster technologies.
What do you think 2015 will bring to the connected cars’ industry? Is there an idea that auto manufacturers and businesses haven’t yet exploited?