Richard core,

Are you ready to think of your car as a mobile device — not just a driving machine?

For several years, carmakers and technology companies have been heralding and prototyping “connected car” innovations that would make transportation by automobile safer, while also providing a utility- and media-rich experience. Now, those visions are becoming reality as devices and systems that can connect cars to the Internet, keep drivers abreast of performance and maintenance issues, and improve the transportation experience are coming to market.

“This year will mark a turning point for the connected car as it moves from the early innovation stages of prototypes to a more mainstream offering hitting show floors in mature auto markets around the world,” according to a recent Gartner newsletter.

SAM #15

The newsletter added, “If the significant flash and sizzle of ’smart’ cars at the Consumer Electronics Show in January [2015] is any indication, this space is about to be flush with activity as automakers like BMW, Mercedes Benz, Hyundai, Toyota and more work with an emerging ecosystem of hardware, software, and service providers to meet growing consumer expectations for their driving experience.”

Future Features

Gartner predicts that by the end of 2020, 70 percent to 80 percent of all new vehicles in the United States will offer connected-car functionality.

The clunky systems that in the last few years have cluttered dashboard consoles with confusing rows of buttons and knobs will disappear. Technology and telecommunications companies are partnering with automobile manufacturers to design easy-to-use systems that will interface with motorists’ smartwatches and other wearable devices, smartphones and tablets, to create intuitive, immersive environments for drivers and passengers.

“… The ubiquitous use of smartphones and tablets provides manufacturers more options in developing and delivering in-vehicle infotainment, and offers an attractive alternative to proprietary systems,” the Gartner report said. “Also, new developments in mood-recognition technology, location-based services, in-vehicle Internet access, and vehicle information hubs increase the versatility of vehicles as mobile consumer electronic devices.”

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this past January, one of the most talked about innovations was the interface between the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch with the BMW iRemote App installed and the operation of the BMW i3 all-electric car. Using the smartwatch, BMW and Samsung demonstrated features that integrated the in-vehicle infotainment system and next-generation sensor technology.

A person wearing the Samsung device could get information at a glance and issue a multitude of commands to the vehicle. Features include, remotely monitoring the car’s battery charge and available range, as well as whether the windows, doors and sunroof are closed and locked. The device could also adjust the vehicle’s climate controls, ensuring that the car interior would be warm in winter and cool in summer when the driver got in.

For those of us who have had the frustrating experience of walking around a parking lot in search of where we parked our car, the Samsung-BMW technology can honk the i3′s horn to call attention to its location.

And then there was the video demonstration by Elmar Frickenstein, senior vice president of BMW Group Electrics / Electronics & Driver Environment, that could strike fear into valet parking attendants everywhere. Using Samsung’s speech recognition assistant, S Voice, Frickenstein told his Galaxy Gear smartwatch: “BMW, pick me up.” The car pulled out of its parking spot and drove to meet him.

Safety And Security

Security for such systems may be a concern. It was recently reported that a 14-year-old hacker competing in a cyber-security contest stunned automakers by using $15 of electronics gear purchased from RadioShack to build a device overnight that remotely opened a car’s locked doors, started its engine and played music from his mobile phone over its audio system.

“For the automakers participating, they realized, ‘Huh, the barrier to entry was far lower than we thought,’” said Dr. Anuja Sonalker, lead scientist and program manager at Battelle, the nonprofit organization running the event. “You don’t have to be an engineer.”

For that matter, it was just the latest of multiple attacks that security experts have carried out on automobile communications systems in recent years.

Despite those concerns, the potential benefits from these systems are speeding development of technologies that will put most aspects of driving and daily life at people’s fingertips inside their cars, as demonstrated in a “Smart Driving” video produced by Samsung.

Ensuring the safe use of in-car devices is also spurring research and development into in-vehicle cameras, voice-activated apps and heads-up displays that project driving, navigation and other information onto the windshield in front of the driver.

While factory installation of such systems will be rolling out over the next several years, devices are already available that can be plugged into a car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) outlet to communicate operational data via Bluetooth to the user’s smartphone. All cars built after 1996 have an OBD outlet.

New Revenue Sources

All the potential for new products, services and subscriptions associated with connected cars is driving millions of dollars of research and prompting speculation of mergers and acquisitions between automakers and the top technology corporations.

A study by Strategy& and the Center of Automotive Management estimates that global sales of connected-car products between 2015 and 2020 will increase nearly fourfold, adding $149 billion in revenues to the passenger car market.

“Added revenue isn’t the only benefit that car companies will see from the rapid development of the connected car,” the Strategy& report said. “These technologies will offer buyers greater flexibility in personalizing the cars they choose, and enable greater contact between manufacturers and customers — strengthening the bonds between them and increasing loyalty to the brand.”

As is always the case, investment and development are flowing into the connected-car segment because consumers are demanding that mobile technology be available wherever they go.

About 39 percent of the 44 percent of consumers who plan to purchase a new car within the next two years say they’re very likely to purchase a connected car.

“Consumers are increasingly looking for solutions that allow them to stay connected to their digital lives wherever they are,” said Thilo Koslowski, an auto analyst for Gartner. “This will actually make cars the coolest mobile device going.”

By richard core, freelance writer and Editor