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All Energy 2011 Final
- 1. Business opportunities for software developers created by the emerging EV driver interface 18 May 2011
- 2. The age of electric motoring is here
- 3. The gateway to new opportunities – cars enter the digital domain
- 4. Before – cars had faces
- 5. In future
- 8. Ford Focus EV interface
- 9. Strategic EV interface alliances Ford and ITT Renault/Nissan and AXA Assistance Toyota and Microsoft Siemens – open to OEMs BMW – new Active E brand Google – power meter
- 10. FAST into the new market Apple & Google
- 11. Why is this important?
- 12. Will EVs make more money for OEMs and dealers?
- 13. Why this is relevant
- 14. The chance to make real money
- 16. The opportunity for business is …
Editor's Notes
- It’s now a fact that almost every automotive OEM is to launch an electric or hybrid car and these three are already in showrooms right now.
- This opens the door to a whole new era of applications and products linked to the emergence of an all new eco-system. Car – home/office – street - smart interface – grid. Most importantly, it allows the internet to interact with the car, it’s driver and passengers. Intelligent transport systems, traffic info systems and many different aspects of safety, business and recreational data can be accessed from within the car.
- In the past, you could recognise a car by its marque character. Each marque had a look, a badge and a pedigree built through the OEM’s history – Jaguar, Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes etc These ICE vehicles live in a predominantly analogue domain.
- Nissan Leaf, Pininferina Bollore, ThinkDue to the internationalisation of safety standards, the next generation of cars will tend to look very similar, but once inside you will be met by a digital driving interface. It is at this point that the new difference between cars will become most apparent to drivers and passengers.
- Ford Focus & MyTouch All-Electric MyFord Touch™ with SmartGauge™: For all-electric vehicles, this intelligent system recognizes driving styles and offers coaching to help drivers modify their road behaviours and get the most range out of their electric vehicle. Using dashboard-mounted screens, consumers can also get information on charging status, energy flow and energy use status and charging point maps that highlight nearby charging stations.
- Let’s move now to the Nissan Leaf EV which was launched this spring. Compared to Ford, the Nissan display projects a very different character at the driver interface. The Nissan character is in some ways more utilitarian while the Ford one is to my eyes anyway, more friendly and begins to nod towards the convergence between car, smart-phone, tablet for information, utility and entertainment. In the case of this Leaf Ap, the car sends info to an Apple iPhone via a dedicated global data center. The software tells the user about the car's state of charge, the cost to charge at a given hour of the day, and sends alerts when it's fully juiced up. Nissan also expects this is how drivers may program what times of day they want to charge up. Since tiered electricity billing is becoming more common (especially with the spread of smart meters), customers will want to charge their cars when it's cheapest. This smartphone interface also lets the user activate or pre-program the car's climate control. This is important because heating and air conditioning draw a considerable amount of power, so it's better to draw from the grid when plugged in, rather than once the car is on the road and running on its battery.
- In the case of Ford, their Ford Sync application program interface (or API) allows sync to harness the power of smartphone mobile operating systems to access and control applications in Ford vehicles. Open Beak, Pandora and Stitcher were the first applications to embrace this opportunity, allowing Twitter and internet radio control into Ford vehicles. Ford Focus Electric dashboard tech maximizes range, teaches fun, freedom of fuel-free driving • All-new Ford Focus Electric features MyFord Touch™ with unique features providing easy-to-understand information about range, destinations and charge points, enabling owners to plan their travels without compromising the fun of the drive • MyFord Touch allows drivers to customize their Ford Focus Electric vehicle experience through MyView to best fit their preferences and the needs of that day’s particular drive • Ford Focus Electric, which debuts in North America in 2012 and Europe in 2013, is Ford’s first fuel-free, rechargeable passenger car
- Available at Google on code.google.com the Google powerMeter is available for all software developers. Google PowerMeter allows power utility customers to access their power consumption data through a secure, web-based iGoogle gadget. The data can be published immediately but is currently limited to uploads at 10 minute intervals. This fits in well with the EV2Grid scenario where new data needs to be complied so that DNOs can begin to understand the emerging EV eco-sysytem.
- Right now how do OEMs and dealers make money on the sale of new cars? With difficulty. Dealer margins are tight and for OEMs most new EVs will leave the factory making a loss at first. Discounting out in the marketplace when competition is high is often the norm. OEMs & Dealers survive by selling parts and accessories, servicing and branded lifestyle accessories - like BMW Motorsport golf bags, jackets and sweatshirts.
- No! EVs require very little servicing. Their engines will last for decades and there are fewer moving parts than in ICE cars. There will be even less when EVs adopt fly-by-wire. So why is the Driver interface worth focusing on?
- First. Let’s go local. In Britain, and especially in Scotland, we have a history of good software development. The gaming software node in Dundee is a prime example. We missed the boat in Scotland when it came to securing an EV or battery plant, while the North East of England got the Nissan Leaf car factory and a lithium-ion EV battery plant. Software is something we can do well. But throughout Europe & beyond, the software sector can provide an important new service for electric vehicles of all types. But, can this make money?
- Skype was created just 8 years ago in 2003. It now has over 170 million connected users and last week it was snapped up by Microsoft for $8.5 billion in cash. Cars are one consumer durable designed for volume sales thus enabling good licensing and royalty revenues for developers of apps, especially as EVs converge with smartphones and computers.
- Think of the character of your laptop. HP, Sony, Dell, Apple. They all look a bit alike but when you know them they are each very different. Each product has its special character and when you customise the unit by adding software that you yourself select, the machine becomes unique to you. Cars will be just the same and Ford in particular has twigged that individual tweaks to the interface make the car more “yours.”Ford is joining millions of customers in embracing the app marketplace. Studies show what was a nonexistent niche just three years ago is expected to blossom into a $4 billion industry by 2012. The App Store, run by Apple, is one of dozens of application marketplaces and already boasts more than 100,000 mobile apps and more than 2 billion downloads
- In the words of our learned friend, the Meerkat, the proposition is……. Simples!If they are going to take advantage of this all new market sector, developers must move swiftly. This paper flags the opportunity and is a call to action for the software industry in Scotland, the UK and around the globe, to take advantage of a lucrative new part of the automotive supply chain as the digitisation of cars becomes the norm.Thank you for coming to this module. I would be pleased to field any questions I may have raised during this swift overview of opportunities created by the EV driver interface.