The vehicle industry changes very quickly–so quickly, in fact, you might not even realize what’s been changed or what’s new year to year. Each year, automakers release new, exciting car models with fresh modifications. Although we are still many years away from The Jetsons style flying cars, you might be surprised by the kinds of futuristic tech you can already find in cars today.
From safety features like blind spot monitoring to entertainment systems that integrate all the apps on your smartphone, cars are becoming more practical and safer than ever before. Here are some of the vehicle software solutions that are causing ripple effects across the industry and revolutionizing how people use cars to travel and commute.
Self-driving vehicles
Autonomous vehicles (AV) are closer than you might think. Elon Musk is pushing the AV revolution with his fleet of Tesla cars. Although they’re not fully autonomous yet, features like autopilot will be fleshed out for total autonomous driving in the future. But his ideas are already changing the vehicle industry. While the self-driving technology still needs to be perfected, it will likely be ready for use sooner than we think.
With self-driving technology on the roads, experts believe the number of accidents will drop because we won’t be dealing with as much driver error. Experts have also proven through closed track tests that even one self-driving vehicle on the road can help smooth out traffic patterns and reduce congestion.
Google also has its own fleet of self-driving vehicles called WayMo. Currently, WayMo is only operating in the metro Phoenix area. Early adopters who sign up to test out the driving vehicles will be met with an experience like Uber or Lyft. Users call a WayMo car and a WayMo vehicle picks them up. Currently, there will still be a human operator in the vehicle while the technology is honed in. Eventually, however, the idea is that the car won’t need a human car operator after a period of refinement and testing.
Fleet management software
One of the biggest splashes made in recent years is the creation of efficient fleet management software. If you’re in a business that utilizes cars, you know how important it is to know where your drivers are at all times. Not only does this help you make sure that your employees are on time to their destinations, but it also ensures that the vehicles aren’t being misused. Fleet management improves driver safety, claims reductions, fleet-wide accountability, and the ability to reward drivers for safe driving records.
In addition, business owners can receive detail driving reports of distances, mileage driven, and stops.
Predictive maintenance
Figuring out your car’s maintenance schedule can be quite a puzzle. However, with software like Micheline’s tire monitoring system, drivers and operators can get alerts about what kinds of repairs or maintenance is necessary. Also called self-diagnostic systems, this software helps drivers stay safe on the roads with cars that are properly maintained.
Data security
Vehicles and automakers collect a ton of information. Destinations, routes, driver behavior, and traffic patterns are all important kinds of data cars with smart capabilities collect. There are even some kinds of driver software that can collect information of driver preference and behavior. Automakers are creating protections for this software to make it less likely hackers will be able to steal or hijack information – the only real risk of using these data collecting smart cars.
Dealer management software
If you own a dealership, there are tons of moving parts to monitor and manage. With dealership management software, dealers can pick a type of platform that fits their business model. For example, new car dealership software allows dealers to manage new car inventory and gives pricing guidelines that are considered fair market prices.
Used car dealerships and wholesale vehicle sellers also have options for business tracking and management. This tech can make running a dealership a little easier.
Takeaways
Moving your business forward is essential to company growth. By using some of the software mentioned in this article, you can focus on automating your essential business tasks so you can focus on actually growing your business. It’s a good idea to leverage technology so you can take your company to the next level.