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Connected Cars: The future of driving on the road

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Published on December 2, 2020. EST READ TIME: 4 MIN

Imagine a world where your car can tell you things like any traffic jams on the way, or any important part at the risk of failing and let you book service right from the car itself! Welcome to the new age of connected cars!

Say Hello to connected cars

Most automobile makers are now rolling out cars with very powerful onboard computers that are always connected to the internet. They have built 4G modems onboard the cars, which make use of mobile LTE internet to connect to the car company and other servers.

These cars take care of many functions themselves and only require minimum user input for some other, more involved functions. Similarly, you can also use smartphone apps or websites to check many aspects of your car health and performance. These include fuel level, engine oil level, car service schedule etc. You can also use smartphone apps to unlock and even start or stop your car remotely! Climate control features are also available in some apps from some car manufacturers.

The technology behind connected cars

Connected cars have benefitted from a number of technological advancements:

• 4G and 5G mobile internet: The biggest factor that has made connected cars possible is high-speed internet on the go. The 4G technology has matured all over and the world is moving towards 5G mobile, which is built from the ground up for such use cases.

• Digitizationof automobile services: From Regional Transport Office (RTO) to car manufacturers, service centres and insurance companies have all gone digital. This has reached such maturity that you can now buy connected car online insurance right from the car dashboard.

• Advanced Embedded Computers: The evolution and miniaturizationof computers have reached levels where embedded computers are now being used to replace many mechanical features in cars.

• Sensor Fusion: The concept of sensor fusion has made it possible for embedded computers to monitor various sensors mounted in car parts like engine, transmission, tyres, climate sensors in the cabin and present a comprehensive picture of car health.

• Miniaturization of radar technologies: Radar technologies have been in use for almost a century now, but primarily in military applications. Their miniaturization has really boosted radar usage in the civilian sector. Connected cars use radar technologies as the base of their situational awareness.

Common features of connected cars

• Car service and health tracking: Here the connected car monitors its health, like part and oil wear etc. and report it to the car manufacturers. Some even feature remote service reminders as well.

• Collision avoidance and navigation support: Cars can monitor traffic and other things around them and can receive real-time traffic updates, helping drivers reach their destinations faster.

• Car location tracking: Connected cars can be monitored and tracked online and you can even remotely lock or disable your car from an app in case of risk of car theft.

• Car insurance tracking and renewal: Cars can be connected to the insurance company servers who can then send updates on the car policy and gather information about long term comprehensive cover and deliver better plans like no claim bonus (NCB) policy.

• Climate control: You can remotely control the AC and set temperature even before you reach your car, and you can also remotely lock and unlock the car as well.

• Wi-Fi hotspots: Connected cars can share their onboard internet access with passengers using Wi-Fi hotspot features.

Key advantages of connected cars for drivers and passengers

Connected cars may seem to be complicated and expensive, but they bring a large number of advantages to both drivers and passengers:

• Ensure better car health by helping you get your car serviced on time

• Healthy car performs better and improves overall fuel efficiency

• Reduces driver stress and improves road awareness, helping control accidents, etc.

• Overall car and driver safety are improved

• Helps you remain updated on car papers like pollution certificate and insurance

Conclusion

Connected cars are a great innovation in the automobile sector because of the all-round feature improvements that they bring. As the technology matures further ahead, things are only expected to improve rapidly.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

This blog has been written by

S. Gopalakrishnan | Motor Insurance Expert | 40+ years of experience in insurance industry

A veteran in insurance industry. S. Gopalakrishnan is a name to reckon with in the field of reinsurance, he has headed the Reinsurance department and has rich experience in other fields of motor insurance. He loves to share his opinion on latest topics in the insurance industry and how he can help people in safeguarding their assets using insurance products.

Mr. S.Gopalakrishnan recommends "HDFC ERGO for your vehicle insurance needs, it has always put customer’s interest at the forefront, with round the clock assistance to deal with emergency breakdown issues and hassle free claims process. You can be assured of complete and reliable guidance through the whole process."

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• Importance of No Claim Bonus for Car Insurance

• Benefits of No Claim Bonus On Car Insurance

• Driving innovation: How self-driven cars will transform our world?

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