Aeris and Omjay collaboration of ensuring safety of commercial vehicles with the power of IoT
Dr Rishi Bhatnagar, President, Aeris Communications talks about about ensuring safety of commercial vehicle with the power of IoT.
- EV is an environment friendly alternative to combustion vehicles; what challenges do you see in its adoption in a market like India?
India has joined the global EV30@30 initiative, which aims to switch at least 30% of vehicle sales to electric vehicles by 2030. With the government’s help, India’s EV market has risen significantly, fuelled by the 2/3 wheeler, with major contribution form the EV cars segment. Low fuel and operating costs, increased demand for first and last-mile connectivity, and the need to achieve carbon neutrality are all driving large-scale adoption. While India is already gearing up the EV ecosystem and the government is doing their bit by introducing EV friendly policies for increasing EV adoption in the country; there remain many roadblocks. The key challenge is to identify the true addressable market and creation of a stable ecosystem from vehicle parts to services for electric vehicles before it matures into a viable market. To turn consumers and give them confidence in buying EVs in India, charging and troubleshooting infrastructure must be readily available. Range Anxiety—the understandable worry of being stuck with a dead battery far from a charging station—is one of the main concerns of EV buyers, alongside the vehicle’s price. The largest challenge to be addressed would be standardisation and charging infrastructure. Also using green fuel for going green with EV is a must for reduction of carbon footprint from not only the Indian roads, but from our planet Earth.
- What are some ways that Internet-connected functions can boost efficiency and security?
On modern superhighways, vehicles and infrastructure are at the heart of the real-time information flow and ecosystem. In the connected vehicle (CV) paradigm, automobiles have become more inventive by communicating with surrounding vehicles, connected infrastructure, and the environment. Within seconds, connected vehicles send and receive data from servers on a continuous basis, and they are connected not just to the internet but also to other vehicles on the road. The CV system “senses” what other vehicles and walkers are doing and detects potential hazards using data from short-range communication broadcasts and peer-to-peer exchanges.
V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) communications connects vehicles to their physical surroundings and aids traffic management by alerting drivers to upcoming road conditions. This not only helps to avoid accidents, but it also assists in determining the best route to the desired location. Drivers can now get training to improve their driving skills, as well as real-time recommendations and comparisons with other drivers, in order to boost their overall profits.
The ability to track vehicles, as well as safety and security measures, is another significant area where IoT is a game changer. Vehicles may be kept safe from misuse and theft via real-time vehicle tracking with location details, remote immobilisation to protect vehicles from theft, and geo-fencing to monitor vehicle movement etc. Predictive maintenance is yet another advantage of the Internet of Things.
- The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) and its implications for the future of the electric vehicle industry
According to Allied Market Research, the IoV market will be worth $208,107 million by 2024. The Internet of Things (IoV) will drive this modernization, allowing automated vehicles to become fully autonomous much sooner than previously thought! Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, enables interaction between vehicles and all vehicle-related entities. Climate change has prompted people and governments to convert to green technologies that use clean and sustainable energy resources, and electric cars will make up a large portion of the IoVs.
Because electric vehicles have a comprehensive charging infrastructure, they can place additional strain on electric grids, which the city must not only pay for, but also meticulously plan for. To achieve optimal charge scheduling in a dynamic environment, the municipal administration would have to deploy IoV systems to ensure that there is a constant and holistic interchange of information between EVs and charging stations regarding energy availability, demand, and cost of energy.
- Could you please explain what this partnership’s conversation starter is?
The automotive industry in India is on the verge of disruption with a high degree of innovations and to ride into the future, Omjay EV Ltd. was focusing heavily on R&D and innovation as a market differentiator. Aeris global expertise and deep understanding of Indian consumers helped us to work closely and make connected vehicles a reality for Omjay EV Ltd. The company has launched new and advanced connected eScooters in India and abroad. Aeris connected vehicle solutions, such as the AerTrak Platform is closely aligned with our promise of creating an intelligent connected two-wheeler ecosystem and would ensure effortless experience to the end consumers of our customers.
Under the partnership, Aeris provides IoT enabled telematics solution to Omjay EV Ltd, making them the 1st major IoT enabled two-wheeler manufacturers in Odisha. The company have presence across Eastern India, A.P. Telangana and Chhattisgarh and have already sold 13000+ units of Aeris powered two-wheelers. Aeris flagship AerTrakTM Platform has enabled real-time exchange of data and power a whole range of telematics enabled connected two-wheeler services to its customers.
- How will Aeris and Omjay partnership will ensure safety of commercial vehicles in the upcoming years?
IoT sensors that track vehicle activity saved the day for one of the scooter’s owners in Odisha. In Ranpur village, Puri district, Odisha, a female robber posing as a doctor stole an EeVe Xeniaa electric scooter from an unsuspecting owner. When the owner saw his eScooter was missing from the spot where he regularly parked it, he assumed it had been stolen. Fortunately, his eScooter was already equipped with Aeris aerTrak-, Aeris Communications’ vehicle telematics IoT Platform. Vehicle access, location, inventory, alerting, reporting, and maintenance are all included in this system. Without wasting any more time, the owner immobilised the vehicle, which resulted in the eScooter’s ignition being turned off, making it impossible for the thief to move the vehicle any further. The incident in Odisha is an excellent illustration of how IoT technology not only assisted the eScooter owner in recovering his property before it was lost or sold in another city. Such good consequences of technology in mobility are also assisting electric vehicle dealers in highlighting the additional benefits and value proposition of purchasing eScooters and cars. These IoT-enabled eScooters come with live tracking, position monitoring, and a history trail, all of which contribute to the vehicles’ and operators’ safety and security.
