Every day, we are surrounded by devices that are connected to the Internet. We only need to turn our eyes in any direction, and we can see televisions, coffee machines, mobile phones and tablets, everything is connected to the Internet. But what is a connected car? In the following post, we explain what it is and how it can improve the driving experience.
What are the benefits of a connected car?
A connected car is a vehicle that has an internet connection, with which it optimizes some of its functions. Like almost all networked devices, the purpose of its connection is to help the user. In our cars, it works in exactly the same way. The automotive companies have studied the subject and have created really important use cases for the drivers.
Many of the benefits of these vehicles are associated with protecting the life of the driver. This represents a major advance in road safety. Imagine being able to protect the of your other passengers with a connected car. Well, this is now a reality and there exists approximately 380 million connected cars in the market today.
Road death rates are really high all over the world. According to the WHO (2015), hundreds of thousands of children die every year as a result of car accidents. Faced with this sad reality, technology is constantly trying to improve vehicle safety.
What is IoV?
This connectivity, which is also known as IoV (Internet of Vehicles), forms a fusion with the surrounding environment. What do we mean by this? What we are trying to say is that the car is connected to all modes of urban mobility, other vehicles, pedestrians and the driver himself.
Today, a smart city can have millions of connections, and generates millions of data points. A connected car can gain access to a lot of really useful information coming from the same city around it. Traffic lights, traffic, accidents, weather, road closures, etc. Everything can be transmitted to the driver to help inform decision making and prevent accidents.
GPS is also another signal of the IoV. This type of connectivity is what many already use to get around town or to get assistance on the road.
How does a connected car work?
Today’s vehicles have a lot of technology inside them. Part of this is what assists the vehicle to stay connected to its environment. This includes:
- Sensors
They are in charge of collecting immediate information, concerning the car’s environment. Driving patterns, nearby or imminent external situations, our position with respect to other vehicles, are just some of the data points which can be detected. - Connectivity
A specialty of Smart devices is their ability to connect to the Internet in different ways. In this case, cars are no exception. Whether it is via Bluetooth, WiFi, WLAN or 5G networks, cars have access to constant information. - Decision making
Now, with all this information our car can react in different ways. It can warn us that we have a vehicle in close proximity when parking, or when driving on the road. They can also inform us about the need for preventive maintenance of the vehicle or can warn the driver about risk situations, etc.
What can I do if my car does not have all this connectivity?
There are alternatives at present, which can turn our vehicle into a connected car. For example, Telefónica has a device that can connect it. This device is known as Movistar Car.
Movistar Car, can become a WiFi point so that you do not ave to consume your cellular data, can offer assistance in case of accidents, GPS for the car, error alerts and much more. Without a doubt, it is another convenient feature for the operation of the IoV.
In conclusión, there are many advantages that a Smart Car offers us, and it can even save our lives. Movistar Car is a good tool to make the car connected or improve the connection we already had. One way or another, a connected car is becoming safer and more necessary. What are you waiting for to join the IoV?
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