Auto Expo 2020: Jio's connected car tech takes center stage
What's the story
As Indians are witnessing mind-boggling cars in the ongoing Auto Expo 2020, the biggest motor show of the country, telecom giant Reliance Jio grabbed eyeballs with a completely different thing - a connected car system.
The telco, led by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, has unveiled technologies that, it says, can make any car 'smart' enough for the road.
Here's all about it.
System
What kind of system Jio has debuted
The connected car system showcased by Jio includes an IoT (Internet of Things) module that uses the internet through a 4G eSIM and pairs with a dedicated smartphone app.
The unit works in conjunction with a 360-degree dash-cam and analyzes the face of the driver to provide reports on how distracted they were while driving or if they were wearing the seat-belt or not.
Information
What kind of behavior would be flagged?
The app set to be paired with the device shows that it will flag a range of driver-related behavior, including idling for more than 10 minutes, rapid acceleration, over-speeding, panic-braking, high-speed turns, and even accidents and thefts.
Feature #2
It also provides information on vehicle health, theft alerts
Besides driving reports, the module in question also provides information on vehicle health, including things like fuel status, engine load, and temperature, directly on phone as well as sends out alerts in the case of theft.
These particular capabilities would especially come handy for those who often lend their vehicles to relatives, siblings, drivers or cab agencies operating a fleet of thousands of cars.
Feature #3
You can also play music via phone, check vehicle location
Among other things, the smart in-car system would also let users play music from their phones on the infotainment screen of the vehicle.
Plus, as it remains connected all the time, location can be accessed 24X7, allowing the owner of the vehicle to track where the car is moving, on which route specifically, and how much distance it has covered on the trip.
Availability
No word on the availability of this system
The tech has been showcased but it remains unclear when exactly Jio plans to launch it commercially in the market and how much would it cost.
Jio says that these solutions will drive the digital transformation of industries, and given the company's recent domination in the telecom segment, we expect it will price it low enough to make it available for everyone.