Automotive 

Trends and innovations
    A comprehensive survey of automotive industry trends reveals information-centric technologies playing a central role in the future of the industry. The industry is adopting new technologies in its operations at an unprecedented scale. In addition to technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data & analytics that have been around for while, newer technologies such as the internet of things (IoT) and blockchain also find numerous applications in automotive.

Impact Of Automotive Industry Trends
    Emerging companies are working to build the first fully autonomous vehicle for city roads, which in turn accelerates the advancements in-vehicle connectivity and IoT. Further, as countries look to move away from fossil fuel use, a significant number of emerging electrification develop electric vehicles and the associated charging infrastructure. Another way to reduce the number of cars on the road involves promoting and creating shared mobility solutions that include first and last-mile connectivity along with urban mass transit.

Autonomous Vehicles
    Autonomous vehicles or self-driving vehicles aim to minimise the need for human drivers and look poised to transform everyday transportation. Fleets of AVs expand the scope of last-mile deliveries, reduce downtime, and aim to make public transportation relatively safer. For example, by reducing accidents caused due to driver fatigue or negligence. AVs are equipped with advanced recognition technologies, such as AI-enhanced computer vision to identify obstacles along the route.
    Udelv provides autonomous vehicles for last-mile deliveries. It combines advanced AI algorithms and hyper-speed teleoperations for human-assisted guidance in unique situations. The vans have a payload capacity of approx. 360 kg (800+ lbs) and reach speeds up to approx 100 km/h (60 mi/h). The vans deliver groceries from nearby stores and send out a push notification when the order arrives.

Connectivity
    Nowadays, vehicles come with a tamper-proof digital identity that differentiates them from other vehicles in the network. This enables easy tracking of vehicular data for various use cases such as insurance, driver safety, predictive maintenance, and fleet management. Sharing vehicular data helps not just the individual customer but overhauls the entire mobility ecosystem.
    An AI-powered traffic signal platform that digitises road infrastructure management and connects drivers to the city roadways to manage various traffic-related challenges. The data of all road users is streamed and processed in real-time to empower smart mobility. NoTraffic's solution also serves as the base for additional services such as micropayments and micro-mobility.

Electrification
    The depleting fossil fuel reserves and the harm to the environment caused by their use call for promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs). For greater adoption, EVs need to address issues such as high price, poor battery, inadequate charging infrastructure, fleet electrification, as well as powering renewable energy-based charging grids.
    Lordstown Motors Corps makes an all-electric pickup truck. The truck, EnduranceTM, is designed to be a sturdy work vehicle and comes with fewer moving parts compared to traditional commercial vehicles, thus enabling easier maintenance. It features 4 hub electric motors to provide a four-wheel drive and is capable of traveling more than 250 miles (400 km) on a single charge.

Shared Mobility
    With connected vehicles, new business models have come up that focus on shared mobility as an alternative to traditional vehicle ownership. This enables mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) and discourages unused vehicles. Such solutions meet the requirements of a city or a business without adding new vehicles, thus reducing waiting time for fleets and pollution caused by petrol or diesel vehicles.
    A platform for a range of shared mobility solutions. LM Mission ControlTM offers free-floating or station-based car sharing, advanced shuttle services, shared dockless scooters, keyless rental programs, and peer-to-peer shared mobility. The LM Mission ControlTM dashboard allows business users to manage their fleets. Further, their drivers use out-of-the-box or white-labeled apps to manage reservations or remotely access vehicles.

Artificial Intelligence
    Artificial intelligence technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision find applications in robotic automation within the automotive industry. These guide self-driving cars, manage fleets, assist drivers to improve safety and improve services such as vehicle inspection or insurance. AI also finds applications in automotive manufacturing, where it accelerates the rate of production and helps reduce costs.
    An AI-powered fleet-management software that is suitable for fleets of varying sizes. The vehicle management system provides insights into speed, running vitals, and health information. Drivers benefit from Voicera ID, a voice-based virtual assistant that helps them keep track of the information they need. Additionally, the onboard speed recorder limits the speed to discourage dangerous driving behaviors.

Big Data & Data Analytics
    In the age of big data, advanced data analytics informs various decisions throughout the lifecycle of a vehicle. Data gathered from vehicles enables predictive maintenance, informs managers about their fleets, and alerts concerned authorities in case of accidents. Moreover, customer automotive data finds applications in driving sales, optimising supply chains, and enhancing product design for newer vehicles.
    Procon Analytics leverages big data to offer a solution for automotive finance. The solution captures millions of data points in real-time and analyses them to enable lenders to instantly assess and reduce risk. This allows Buy Here Pay Here (BHPH) dealers to expand their businesses and extend credit to high-risk customers. Further, this also offers software solutions for fleet and asset tracking as well as connected cars.

Human-Machine Interface
    As self-driving cars and connected cars transform the automotive landscape, it will fundamentally change how drivers interact with vehicles. Human-machine interfaces (HMI) use voice-based or haptic feedback to operate vehicles. These expand the scope of how and what aspects of a car that user's control. Consequently, such interfaces make the driving experience safer and more enjoyable. Another form of HMI includes smart virtual assistants who help drivers and riders interact with the vehicles and other service providers.
    Apostera offers an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). The platform combines augmented reality (AR), smart camera, and surround-view monitoring to illuminate the route on turns, curves, slopes as well as complex junctions. This assists the drivers in keeping lanes, prevents collisions, and enables autonomous driving options. Moreover, the solution is customisable to any car model or specific OEM requirements.

Blockchain
    Blockchain finds multiple applications in the automotive industry. These include sharing vehicle data over a secure network for connectivity and shared mobility solutions such as ride-hailing, urban transportation, and deliveries. Moreover, it finds application in verifying the supply chain of spare parts or making sure that the raw materials and spare parts are sourced exclusively from legal and trusted sources.
    A decentralised autonomous vehicles platform based on blockchain technology. DAV allows autonomous vehicles to discover AVs, service providers, or clients around them. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication is either on-blockchain, with smart contracts, or off-blockchain using DAV’s protocols. They develop protocols for drone charging networks, drone flight planning, and open mobility.

Additive Manufacturing
    3D printing helps the automotive industry in three primary ways. Firstly, it enables rapid prototyping with 3D printed models that accelerate the design and testing phases of production. Secondly, it allows manufacturers to print spare parts to match their requirements. Lastly, additive manufacturing of composite materials leads to automotive parts that are lighter, stronger, and more durable.
    Employing additive manufacturing to produce carbon composites for use in the automotive industry. 9T Labs design software Fibrify optimises fiber placement and automates equipment production with additive fusion technology to mass-produce carbon fiber products. The 3D printed composites are more affordable, lightweight, dimensionally stable, corrosion-resistant, and also offer increased strength and stiffness.

Internet of Things
    In the automotive industry, IoT enables secure communication between vehicles as well as vehicles and infrastructure components. The technology improves road safety, solves traffic congestion, and reduces pollution and energy expenditure with better fleet management. Companies develop advanced sensing technologies to gather more data about the vehicle as well as allow the vehicle to understand its surroundings. The technology also automates payments for fuel and tolls.
    Providing IoT solutions to optimise fleet and asset management. Konnect – GS01, an automatic electronic logging device (ELD) continuously track vehicular health. The solution includes route planning and optimisation for real-time dispatch, advanced analytics to enable alerts regarding driving, vehicles, and fuel, predictive maintenance alerts to reduce downtime, as well as developing driver management apps.