The history of the car in America is fodder for folklore, led by the invention of Henry Ford’s Model T and the modernization of the assembly line. Inspired by the idea that a car should be placed in every garage, Ford set out to create a widely available and affordable vehicle that would normalize ownership and transform driving into a critical need for going to work, seeking pleasure, and spending time with families and loved ones.
As we move beyond the 100-year mark of automobiles finally hitting the mainstream, we come upon another trend that promises to change the industry forever in the autonomous vehicle. What was once an imagined reality among technology and automotive enthusiasts is now a vision for the future as manufacturers are now beginning to integrate such vehicles for both consumers as well as businesses hauling cargo cross-country.
Excitement for autonomous vehicles was particularly high at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), known for highlighting innovations over the past 35 years including that of the personal computer. From the introduction of sensors to the arrival of artificial intelligence, the conference proved that consumers and businesses have plenty to look forward to in the coming years.
The DevOps Automotive Story
While both the consumer press and excited automotive enthusiasts look ahead to the future of cars, organizations such as Perficient are leading the way to bringing these innovations to light. Unlike the analog technology seen in most cars today with disparate radio, engine monitoring, and Bluetooth systems, the future of the vehicle is connected and will be hooked up to the cloud. You could almost imagine the car to be its own piece of enterprise hardware, functioning through the integration of APIs, running efficiently with microservices, and gathering data like never before, all while operating on DevOps philosophies.
Consider the following concepts DevOps philosophies can help solve:
- Traffic: Southern California residents like myself have the traffic jam buried within our DNA. Thankfully, one of the redeeming features of autonomous vehicles is that they will be able to gauge traffic and create a better flow among the hundreds of miles of freeways. Even better will be the ability for automotive software to update traffic readings immediately and guide vehicles towards better routes – minus the fumbling with mobile phone map applications.
- Driving is Productive Again: These days, I spend my commutes switching back and forth between audio books and sports talk radio. The experience is a familiar one, but sometimes I just wish I could whip out my laptop to write out my latest idea. As more applications connect with automotive dashboards, I can abandon voice-to-text on my phone, speak directly into my car stereo, and write my next book – all on the way to buying my groceries for the week.
- Full Visibility: The future of driving will be similar to an IT administrator’s ability to track technology assets. For example, drivers will no longer have to manually check tire pressure or wait for a part to break down – a dashboard will share this data alongside analytics for maximum visibility. Drivers can experience a continuous improvement of how they operate their vehicles, much like IT in developing their applications.
- Car-as-a-Service: As of now, a car operates like an analog device. Most lack connection to an outside source, but that will be changing soon. According to car research firm HIS, nearly 32 million vehicles will have over-the-air updates by 2022, up from 1.2 million in 2015. Drivers will no longer need to purchase a new car to get the best features and can enjoy the feeling of security, updated applications, and safety as they get to their destination.
As of now, the automotive industry is still at its inflection point, with innovation arriving slowly but surely. Over time, innovations will transform the impression of automobiles, changing everything from high school driver’s education to how the everyday citizen drives to work. We expect that DevOps will be at the center of these efforts, bringing new meaning to the road trip and the importance of having a set of wheels.
How do you think it will change how we drive? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Is your organization looking to maximize its DevOps strategy or in automotive and looking to ride the wave of innovation? Get in touch with us at sales@perficient.com for a conversation today.
Learn more how the latest technologies can drive the automotive industry in our hybrid cloud guide.
