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engineering fields. This multidisciplinary
approach is essential especially as right
now, no one knows if the likes of Apple,
Google and Microsoft will be collaborators or
competitiors,” adds Jennings.
Potential competition goes beyond
products and into long-standing business
models. The likes of Uber, Lyft, Relayrides
and Getaround present the sharing economy
as a viable alternative to owning a car. Many
people wouldn’t consider life without a car,
but in growing, urbanized societies populated
by a millennial generation who have grown
up renting, leasing and streaming rather than
owning, it’s feasible that new car sales could
face a long-term decline.
The impact of digitalization on the industry
caught the attention of the public at the 2015
Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which
was dominated by the connected car. Both
established companies and newcomers used
CES 2015 to demonstrate new technology
and new business models, largely based on
the Internet of Things (IoT).
For example, Nvidia unveiled a new Tegra
X1 processor specifically designed for tablets
and car dashboards, AT&T and Samsung
announced a research partnership focused
feature
“We are shifting focus
to work with software
and standards instead
of specific hardware to
be sure our cars stay
relevant in the future.”
Auto pilot: Mode
of the future.
on the connected car, while Volvo Cars
presented a vision where connected cars and
cyclists could be warned of dangerous close
encounters.
ADAPTING TO A DIGITAL WORLD
“We are looking at how the safety tradition
of Volvo can continue into the era of the
connected car,” says
Jonas Rönnkvist
,
Director of Business Development & Strategy
for Consumer IT Services at Volvo Cars. “This
is why we are currently pioneering the field
of “Connected Safety” as we call it. With
sensors, our cars have the possibility to detect
potentially dangerous situations, for instance
if there is slipperiness on certain sections
of road. Soon they will be able to share this
information in real time, through the cloud,
with other cars and thereby contribute to a
safer driving environment.”
He says everyone at Volvo Cars understands
the challenge ahead.
“Traditionally it takes a couple of years to
develop a new model, followed by a five-to-
seven year production run, with a further
twenty years of support and service. That
thirty year time frame simply doesn’t fit into
the speed of change in the digital world.”
Rönnkvist uses the example of how
quickly consumer technology is changing
to highlight the challenge ahead. “If we
incorporate a specific connector into a new
car design, we run the risk of that connector
being obsolete by the time the car hits the
market. Just think about what phone you
were using a couple of years ago, and what
has changed in that time. We are shifting
focus to work with software and standards
instead of specific hardware to be sure our
cars stay relevant in the future.”
BIG DATA IN THE VALUE CHAIN
Away from the public eye, a group of IoT
technologies otherwise known as the
‘Industrial Internet’ looks set to alter the way
of working for the entire supply chain, from
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
right through to operations on the factory
floor.
Big data analytics should help brands
and OEMs to make sense of the oceans of
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