How the Internet of Things can change the automotive industry

The Internet of Things is cool in the home but to a select few, it doesn’t have any real impact. Alexa may play your favorite music and keeps you up to date with the news, but it’s all cosmetic. As a society, we indulge in new technology even if it adds no genuine value to our lives.

You’ll be glad to know you’ve judged the IoT too soon. Right now, it’s being used as a major form of software in the ever-changing car industry. It’s transforming that world and the wider one into a better place.

Here’s how smart cars are going to make a difference by 2020.

Safer Roads

Although you feel safe behind the wheel, the statistics claim otherwise. There are over 125,000 collisions in Pennsylvania alone which is one relatively small state. With fewer than thirteen million people, imagine the stats in California. In Cali, the population is three times the size.

A car accident can happen at any moment for many reasons, from dropping something to being tired and the sun shining. IoT-connected vehicles remove the distractions as they react to changes in real time. Accidents and fatalities are due to decline dramatically once these vehicles are the norm on the roads.

Cleaner Environment

While future vehicles will be hybrids and still use gas, there is a caveat. Smart cars not only cut out traffic collisions but they regulate spacing between vehicles. As a result, an estimated 90 billion hours per year could be saved in the future.

This has a direct knock-on effect on the amount of fuel burned and the number of carbon released. Of the massive 220 metric tons which are soaked into the atmosphere, IoT vehicles are thought to reduce this by a significant margin. At this point, nothing is more important than the planet we leave behind for our children and grandchildren.

Mental Health

Car journeys aren’t a walk in the park. Getting the kids into the backseat and strapped in is a nightmare. There’s the trip which is a constant stream of noise as everyone fights between themselves.

For adults, it’s enough to make us want to scream into a pillow, but we don’t because we need to keep calm. This leads to high levels of stress just when we’re running an errand or commuting. 10 million self-driving cars will be on the road next year so that parents can take a break. There’s no need to multitask when the car drives itself.

Ubiquity

All of the above will come into effect because IoT-connected vehicles are on the rise. Along with the 10 million self-driving cars, there is expected to be 250 million vehicles which have IoT technology. After all, the likes of Tesla, BMW, and Mercedes are getting in on the act.

Therefore, IoT has already changed the industry by one iota as it’s encouraged buyers to order them and manufacturers to make them available. It’s the time-saving nature as well as the moral and environmental impacts which makes them popular.