Whrring #8 Make Great Software
Whrring #8 Make Great Software
The legacy software era from the 2000s is long over. Build a new one.
Three things I would recommend to EV 4W passenger OEMs in India :
Have as big as an infotainment screen you possibly can have.
Stick an iPad Pro on it.
Build great software.
Revamp the way infotainment systems are used in the mass market 4W EV segment and win customers.
The time of legacy stock software from the 2000s is over. Let’s build a new EV stack.
We are still stuck in the 00’s era with the trip meter’s Trip A & Trip B. If a Bose speaker today can connect via Bluetooth to more than one phone, then why can’t the infotainment system? The older generation might be used to it and prefer it. The iPhone-owning newer generation of drivers will probably not.
But hey, why should OEMs invest in the software? Aren’t Apple and Google doing that already? Yes, they are. And that is detrimental to the OEMs. Hold that thought and I’ll address it in the article.
India has built great software and can build more. Look at Razorpay, PhonePe, Swiggy, Zomato, Zerodha’s Kite, MakeMyTrip, BookMyShow to name a few.
The software should be seamless. OEMs should look at Apple. They should delight people with easy user experiences, despite how difficult it is to build it. I do not want the OEMs to give up.
Here are some things that the car’s infotainment navigation system (not your phone) should do.
The trip planning should be a lot richer than PlugShare. The navigation system should look at elevation gain / loss, temperature, wind speed, speed limits, tolls, traffic, time of the day, and past driving behaviour to predict the estimated charge on arrival. Ofcourse, it needs to look at the chargers on the route too. It should tell me if I need to drive slower to make it to the charger.
Getting charge points information might not be straightforward or easy right now, but it is not impossible. The OEMs are large (size and wallet wise) to coerce most CPOs in sharing the static charging station data and live statuses. Once you have the 3rd, 4th, 5th and the 6th largest CPOs in India, then the top two will also come. The smaller CPOs will also be happy with the visibility. The rate of growth for the top two CPOs will likely be slower than the rest. They will not want to miss out on the visibility. No CPO is making money in the B2C side of the business. It doesn’t make sense for either side to pay for this - the OEMs and the CPO. Let the market grow. Let the customers feel good.
Outside of charging locations, the infotainment system should be able to tell me how many charging points at the particular charger are available and not available; what is the expected charging speed on arrival; whether the amenities near the charging station will be open or closed. If it is a regular route that I travel on, then it should recommend the charging stations that I have frequented in the past. It should look at the time of the day I am travelling, see if there are any good restaurants along the way coinciding with lunch or breakfast or dinner timings. Of course the route should take priority over food, unless the algorithm is so good that the customer is ok to not prioritize the route. The infotainment system should also allow developers to build widgets. Open up the platform. Let the creativity flow.
All of this is not just software play. It needs an intelligent and reliable understanding of the battery, battery management system and the hardware.
Why should the OEMs fight and not let Apple / Android take over?
The User Experience will be monotonous everywhere. Be it your watch, phone, tablet, laptop or computer. The car is a product that is getting added to this list, faster than ever before. OEMs should not lose control over digital interactions with the customer. OEMs in India can do a lot more today than what Apple or Google will be able to do in a few years. Good software will be a moat against Google and Apple. Look at Tesla. They don’t provide Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
I am going out on a limb here and say that most people use CarPlay or Android Auto for the superior ‘old school non EV native’ navigation by Google Maps. The other tasks are easily executed by connecting the phone via Bluetooth - like listening to podcasts, music or answering calls. The UX for any other EV related app (mostly PlugShare) on CarPlay or Android Auto is mediocre.
But why should OEMs pay attention to software?
Because software differentiation can win you customers. There’s a learning curve when someone switches from an ICE to an EV. There’s a much bigger learning curve for someone wanting to do road trips. Make the transition as easy as you can for them. The newer crop of drivers has grown up with software around them. They’ll appreciate honest efforts and something fresh. And what will the customers do when we have self driving, many years down the line? You’d want them glued to your screen and not their phone.
With regular updates, you can also keep adding previously unavailable functionalities. Incorporate real time feedback on how the people are using your car’s software. Make great software, make lives better for the customers.
If this article resonated with you, then please share it with your OEM. Let there be great software for all of us!
Fantastic wishlist Priyans.
Many Chinese OEMS like BYD are already providing good route planning and soc calculation based on route including elevations, but most others don't. Truly, the OEMs need to look at EVs as not just a new line of Vehicles with the prime mover as a motor instead of engines. Like the design too, they are now making SUV formats so un-aerodynamic that there is a energy loss of upto 6kwh/ 100km. I wish that they would look at EVs as a completely different way of mobility. And it's not future mobility, it's now. Bring it today when it's possible. Coming back to infotainment, I would like to add a couple more wishes to your list.
1. They must provide a driving pattern v/s range chart as a historical and graphical representation with a summary of ambient temp and AC fan speed etc. Not much different than what health apps are doing today for our physical health. And none of what you and I are asking for is difficult. But clearly, the OEMs and CPOs are guarding data like hoarders because of their conventional mindset. They should open their minds and hearts to sharing data for the market to be more permeable for adoption of EVs
2. This is more from a environment conscious view, it would be great to see a CO2 offset on the dash board showing how much CO2 emissions was avoided and if possible also how much more to go before you offset the emissions released for producing that EV.
CPOs really need to stop being conservative about roaming and share not only static data but availability also, as you mentioned. This can be the most powerful weapon in the arsenal to destroy range anxiety, and most important, implement plug and charge too.