German automotive supplier Continental has entered into a collaboration agreement with technology giant IBM to develop fully-connected mobile vehicle solutions for car manufacturers globally.
At the heart of the agreement is the development of a highly scalable cloud platform, which will allow automotive manufacturers to offer new mobile in-car services.
The solution will provide software updates and vehicle control device functionality through internet, eliminating the need for costly and inconvenient workshop visits. It is ideal for industries such as public transportation, insurance and retailing.
IBM global automotive industry general manager Dirk Wollschl ger said that in coming years, three strategic innovation forces will advance automotive industry megatrends apace: on the one hand vehicle automation, on the other hand reduced emission, fuel-efficient driving or, vehicle electrification and finally connectivity.
"The emerging digital world provides powerful stimulus to each of these megatrends. The vehicle will not just be connected to the Internet, it will become part of it," Degenhart added.
"Networked, intelligent mobility opens up enormous potential for innovation and will enable several new functions for drivers.
"These include cloud-based voice recognition, real-time traffic flow data exchange and anticipatory driving based on online and navigation data. All in all, cars of the future will become even safer and more efficient."
Continental executive board chairman Elmar Degenhart said: "IBM's experience in cloud enabled platforms and embedded systems development capabilities, combined with our systems expertise in automotive electronics, create the foundation for a new generation of intelligent networked vehicles."
In addition, anticipatory driving will be enhanced by Continental and IBM to develop a next generation 'electronic horizon' platform, which will ultimately make highly automated driving a reality.
For this, the vehicles will be equipped with embedded sensors that will receive data and transmit information such as position, speed or deceleration to the cloud where data will be processed, analyzed and acted upon.
