By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor
IBM (News – Alert) has partnered with Hughes Telematics, Inc. and Daimler Fleetboard to come up with solutions for designing and managing automotive systems.
The companies have collaborated to develop software platforms that more quickly deliver telematics services to their customers. Telematics is the intersection of information and communications technology, and is expected to be a standard feature in vehicles by 2015.
Changes in vehicles have led auto manufacturers to integrate a growing amount of software, mechanical and electronic technology across a vast ecosystem of suppliers. Additionally, technology needs to be tracked and managed as it evolves over 20 years, which is the average lifespan of a vehicle.
Further contributing to the challenge, the evolution of automotive control electronics is expanding at a rapid rate. In 1990, the amount of electronics and software in a vehicle accounted for less than 16 percent of the vehicle’s total value. Today, that share is projected to account for almost 40 percent of the value of a new vehicle. The average automobile now has several millions of lines of code — more than a space shuttle.
“As the use of software continues to serve as the basis for increased innovation and competitive advantage in the automobile industry, the traditional approach of developing software will not work for today’s modern vehicle manufacturers and their partners,” said Dr. Daniel Sabbah, general manager, IBM Rational. “Today, premium class vehicles are estimated to contain up to one gigabyte of on-board software. Clearly, the companies that will succeed in the automobile industry will be those that develop a core competency in designing, delivering and managing software.”
Atlanta-based HTI, which provides customers, such as Mercedes-Benz USA, with the ability to equip its vehicles with onboard sensing and communications systems, also provides drivers with an array of services – from automatically seeking and guiding emergency help in the event of an accident, to remotely locking and unlocking vehicle doors from a smartphone, downloading location-based recommendations on lodging or restaurants, and even locating a stolen vehicle.
Germany-based Daimler Fleetboard, a provider of online telematics solutions and services for commercial vehicles and logistics companies, needed to help its clients improve efficiency. By using IBM software as the foundation for its telematics system, Daimler Fleetboard has been able to help clients optimize vehicle usage and routing, and deliver new functionality to vehicles remotely, without having to remove them from service. Daimler Fleetboard enables clients to reduce fuel consumption by 5 to 10 percent, and to save up to 10 percent in telecommunications costs.
In other company news, IBM is teaming up with Hildebrand, and taking plunge into the U.K. smart metering market with its data management software. IBM has recently announced that it is joining Hildebrand to help consumers make more informed decisions about their energy consumption.
Ed Silverstein is a contributing editor for TMCnet’s InfoTech Spotlight. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.
Edited by Erin Harrison
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