The connected car promises to drive attention at Super Mobility Week, with the two largest wireless operators starting off the week by expanding their programs for automotive-focused connectivity.
Verizon Wireless’ Enterprise Solutions group said it will have a connected car program, Verizon Auto Share, available by the end of this year. Rather than being a consumer-focused connected car offering, this program is designed around car rental and sharing programs, although it will also have some consumer-facing aspects.
Drivers will be able to use a car-sharing app on a smartphone or tablet to get access to a vehicle without interacting with an on-site attendant, according to Verizon Wireless, which is highlighting Auto Share at the ITS World Congress in Detroit this week. The app would allow the user to share a QR code on the vehicle, and once the user information is validated, a key fob appears on the device screen and allows the user to start and drive the car.
Auto Share can also be used for peer-to-peer vehicle sharing, and Verizon said it will eventually be able to be used by agencies such as municipal transit organizations for streamlining rideshare and van pooling programs. The solution is expected to include telematics and an interface platform from Delphi, Verizon Wireless said.
“With urban populations projected to represent 7 out of 10 people by 2050, industry experts note that car usership and peer-to-peer sharing via a mobile application is increasingly replacing car ownership as a core part of the connected lifestyle — particularly among young people,” said Mark Bartolomeo, head of Internet of Things (Iot) connected solutions at Verizon, in a statement. “Its promise of personal convenience, social improvement and cost savings is hard for businesses to ignore.”
Meanwhile, AT&T has already said that half a dozen major app developers have signed on to build automotive-tailored applications for the operator’s AT&T Drive platform. The apps will have features such as being fully voice-controlled rather than simply being able to be open and closed by verbal cues, and incorporating common driving habits in their design. The app list includes AccuWeather, iHeartRadio, Newsbeat audio streaming, Parker by Streetline for finding parking spots, location-sharing app Glympse, and on-demand radio and podcast app Stitcher.
“Each of these apps provides an enhanced in-car experience for users while also keeping driver safety top of mind,” said Chris Penrose, SVP of emerging devices for AT&T. “AT&T Drive’s app selection was developed so that drivers could make more informed decisions while they are driving to help them point A to point B safely, but do so as efficiently and comfortably as possible.”
AT&T also said that it has a new sponsorship agreement with TeleCommunications Systems Inc. for navigation support the AT&T Drive Studio,which is AT&T’s testing garage and speech lab in Atlanta.
“Mobile’s integration with other verticals is becoming increasingly important,” said David MacQueen, executive director of apps and media for Strategy Analytics, in a statement on the show, adding that key verticals are expected to include both retail and mobile payments and the connected car. “Mobility is truly becoming pervasive in the home, in the car and in-store.”
