Exactly what we need – and NOW !

On the surface , the following new reports seen unconnected .

· Business Line ( 28 Feb 2017 )

“ FASTags to be made mandatory for trucks on govt duty “

· DNA ( 02 March 2017 )

“ China introduces tracking system for toys “

· Business Line ( 16 Feb 2017 )

“ Autonomous Vehicle Management, drones could create big job opportunities :

GlobalLogic “

· Economic Times ( 10 Feb 2017 )

“ Policy to Scrap old Vehicles Gets in-principle Nod “

· The Guardian ( 21 Feb 2017 )

“ China orders GPS tracking of all cars in Xinjiang region “

· Economic Times ( 01 March 2017 )

“ Electric Vehicles for Commercial Use may not Require Permits “

· Times of India ( 21 Feb 2017 )

“ Rs 80,000 Cr plan in works to cut urban carbon footprint “

· Economic Times ( 28 Feb 2017 )

“ Jio Ropes in AirWire for Connected Car Device “

Mukesh Ambani-led telco plans to enter auto telematics with the launch of device in India under its JioCar Connect initiative

· DNA ( 17 Feb 2017 )

“ Tata Motors plugs into Microsoft “

To develop connected vehicle technologies , first such vehicle under TAMO platform to be showcased in Geneva in March

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But when you try to “ connect up “ all of these into a single , over-arching message , things become clear

Each of these initiatives is trying to solve / mitigate , one of the following problems :

· Rapidly growing Vehicle population

· New road lengths not keeping up with this growth in vehicles

· Petrol / Diesel vehicles polluting atmosphere – causing early deaths

· Deterioration of roads due to increased traffic

· Road congestion leading to increased travel time / petrol wastage

· Increasing road accidents , maiming and killing people or damaging property

· No space for footpaths for walking

· No space for bicycle tracks

· Unbearable noise pollution causing deafness

· No place for parking along public roads ( cause for corruption ? )

The list keeps growing !

There is no perfect , one-shot , immediate solution , to take care of all of these problems in one go

The news reports listed above, are attempts by companies / organizations / governments etc , to address , one or more , of these problems

I expect that , over the next 5 years , all of these will converge into an Internet of Vehicles ( IoV ), when :

· Most vehicles will be electric ( essentially , “ computers on wheels “ ), automatically determining the best / shortest, route / stops and optimizing vehicle performance . Mobile Apps will be a governing device

· Vehicles will be internet connected with one another , exchanging data

· Vehicles will be internet connected with servers of Transport Authorities / Traffic Police / Pollution Control Boards and a host of other governmental / institutional organizations , and be relaying all sorts of data 24*7 . Vehicles will report accidents ( being hit ) and thefts ( being stolen ) , on their own !

· All vehicles will carry a whole lot of “ Sensors “ , which will continuously “ monitor “ the conditions of the vehicles and relay the same to all the authorities

· All vehicles will be equipped with RADAR – LIDAR –CAMERAS – GPS locators – / Augmented Reality etc , to avoid collisions / accidents

· Prepaid RFID chips ( linked to Aadhar / Bank Accounts ? ) for Road Taxes / Insurance Premiums / Toll charges / Fines / Carbon Credits ( through DBT )

· In-Built Sensors will measure , ( and request maintenance on their own ! ),

# Engine ( or Electric Motor ) temperature

# Pressures / Displacements / Compression Ratios in case of petrol / diesel

Vehicles / Battery Charge Levels / fuel consumption

# Emission Levels ( PM2.5 / CO2 etc ) in petrol / diesel vehicles

# Tyre pressures / wear and tear of moving parts / RPM

# Vehicle speed / acceleration / braking distance

# Proximity to other moving / stationary vehicles or objects

# Weather conditions / Visibility levels / Traffic Density

# Condition of the road being traversed ( co-efficient of friction )

# Condition of the person driving ( sleepy / drunk etc )

# Whatever else you want “ measured / monitored / relayed “

To know , how such an Internet of Vehicles ( IoV ) can solve the various problems listed above , you may want to read my following earlier blogs ( all sent as emails to NDA ministers ) :

· Un-ImplementableLaws : Unstoppable Corruption ( 20 Feb 2017 )

{ https://myblogepage.blogspot.com/2017/02/un-implementable-laws-unstoppable.html }