The massive change coming to our roads feels like it’s almost close enough to touch, with more than two million electric cars already on the road, driverless cars on the way, and connected cars all the rage.
The driving revolution is anything but subtle, but amidst all the excitement and panic I am seeing some perhaps more understated (but equally ingenious) initiatives that will contribute to making getting around a more pleasant experience.
One such initiative came recently with the announcement of a partnership between SAP, Hertz, Nokia, Mojio and Concur. Dubbed SAP Vehicles Network, the coming together is focused on automating the processes involved with rental cars, including parking, fueling and payment.
How does it work? Mojio’s open platform for connected cars, running on the SAP Cloud Platform, provides the parking and fueling applications. Nokia’s IMPACT tool (Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things) manages IoT devices and sensors in the vehicles, allowing drivers to personalize settings.
Concur’s TripLink applies more to business travelers specifically. It links parking and fueling transactions to the vehicle (taking the pain out of expensing), as well as allowing them to access automated route guidance and trip reporting.
For its part, Hertz is very much along for the ride (pun intended), and is tying all this technology together and into its service. The car rental company is actively exploring the use of connected-car technology to make the act of renting a car as simple and enjoyable as possible. Its involvement in this partnership is evidence enough that they mean business.
There’s a feeling that we’re going through a time that will be remembered in the same way we remember the transition from horse-and-carriage to the first automobiles today. When we look back, it might be the likes of Tesla that come to our mind, but these purposeful partnerships will have made just as much of an impact behind the scenes.
Read more about Vehicles Network here.
