When Will Our Vehicles Hit The Information Superhighway?

And why has it taken so long for us to be connected on the road?
When you consider how the internet has revolutionized our lives, it seems quite remarkable that modern vehicles are yet to see complete connectivity. Almost 25 years after the birth of the World Wide Web, cars and light commercial vehicles remain resolutely offline. Even smartphones struggle to remain connected on the move since their signals depend on relatively stable positions; high-speed movement causes drop-outs as the device moves between transmitting towers. To date, sat nav has been the only tangible evidence of the information superhighway on the nation’s real highways.
But is all that about to change?
It may have taken an unexpectedly long time, but car manufacturers have finally woken up to the fact that modern consumers expect to be online wherever they are. Each new internet-enabled vehicle will join an estimated five billion entrants to the Internet of Things every year between now and 2020. An internet-enabled car makes perfect sense as an IoT device, since it can contribute and benefit far more from being online than a web-enabled fridge or central heating system ever could. As well as connecting to the internet, cars may also ultimately connect to each other, realising the dream of fully intelligent cruise control and potentially eliminating the need to actually drive.
At present, most in-car internet access still relies on a user’s mobile phone connection, although integrated telematics boxes with GSM modules are rapidly gaining popularity. The user interface is typically a tablet-sized touchscreen on the dashboard, with Rolls-Royce leading the way in developing a screen that can recognise hand-drawn characters. But it’s not only premium vehicles that incorporate internet access. The new Honda Jazz supermini has web browsing and real-time news/traffic information delivered via a seven-inch touchscreen, while Audi was the first manufacturer to fully integrate 4G back in 2013. The model they chose was their S3 hot hatch rather than the A8 limo or Q7 SUV, acknowledging that internet access on the move is no longer a luxury item.
Having been behind the curve for many years, the rate of vehicular internet development is well on its way; collaborations are springing up everywhere. Peugeot Citroën have established a seven-year agreement with IBM to pioneer connected services, while Google’s Open Automotive Alliance has seen companies like Hyundai and GM jointly striving to introduce Android into their products. Electric cars already demonstrate what can be accomplished, with their focus on maximising battery life resulting in owners being able to turn on air conditioning via a smartphone app before the vehicle leaves its charging station. Forthcoming EU legislation will require every new car to have a chip that can call the emergency services in the event of a collision, while more advanced takes on this could include biometric monitoring that phones an ambulance if a driver is taken ill at the wheel.
A fully internet-enabled vehicle could become far more than just a method of transport. In years to come, a car might recognise a slow puncture and schedule an appointment at the most affordably-priced local tyre retailer. Sat nav systems will probably become far more reactive as they are programmed to navigate around roadworks or accidents thanks to information fed to them by IoT-enabled cameras.
However, multimedia is likely to experience the biggest vehicular sea change. The big mobile phone networks already offer car Wi-Fi, enabling up to five devices to connect simultaneously. Full internet connectivity would automate this process, entertaining even the most fractious of passengers during long journeys. Parking at one’s destination would also not be a problem, with a number of organisations competing to develop smart parking apps that can guide a vehicle’s sat nav system to a pre-reserved parking space. The scope for internet-enabled vehicles is huge, but it will be a few years before your modest family hatchback can automatically reserve a table at a restaurant and then recommend a highly-rated hotel around the corner…
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