- The connected car solution allows you to locate and monitor the status of the vehicle at all times, which reassures users and family members and eases towing processes for the authorities.
The monitoring of connected cars makes it easier to locate and know the status of the vehicle in the event of storms such as Filomena, which collapsed the city of Madrid. Thousands of people had to abandon their vehicles on the roads without knowing where they were due to the poor visibility caused by the heavy snowfall, and others remained inside their vehicles until they were rescued.
According to Madrid’s regional government, 1,500 people were rescued from their vehicles in the region on Saturday, January 9, and 3,500 vehicles were removed from regional roads and highways. In addition, the emergency services registered more than 4,000 intervention requests in waiting.
The benefits of a connected car solution have been demonstrated by the front-line experience of our colleague Fran Rodríguez, Chief Revenue Officer at Net4things. With his 4×4 vehicle, he transported health workers, patients, and pedestrians to the hospital or their respective homes, and even transported medicines. As Fran Rodríguez reports: “The intense snowfall and the strength of the blizzard made it difficult to circulate on the roads, and on several occasions, I feared that the 7 of us who were in the vehicle would get stuck. But, the GPS helped me identify which way to go, and also allowed my family to follow my location.” Through the data provided in the application, we know that Fran spent more than 38 hours helping, made 100 trips, and traveled more than 2000km with his connected car.
The connected car solution offers several benefits in severe storm events:
- Locating and monitoring the status of the vehicle, for both users and family members.
- Mapping of vehicle to facilitate the process of towing by the authorities.
- Receiving alerts when the vehicle is towed, or fuel is low.
- GPS tracking of the routes the vehicle follows.
- In-car WiFi hotspot to communicate in the event of mobile network problems.
- Records of the trips, fuel consumption, and distance travelled each day.
This storm showed the necessity of these types of solutions in smart cities like Madrid. An IoT solution, developed by Net4things, allows monitoring vehicles manufactured after 2004, offers connectivity among vehicles, provides data that can be shared with authorities and emergency services to avoid saturation of phone lines, and eases the processes of search and rescue. It also provides calm and peace of mind for drivers and their family members, with real-time information about the status of their vehicle.
Net4things is a Spanish company that develops solutions for sustainable mobility and connected cars, monetizing mobility data for telcos, insurance agents, loaners, car manufacturers, and repair shops, among others. For Joaquín García Baquero, Net4things CEO, “it’s gratifying to offer technology that contributes to resolving the issues caused by Filomena, and helps drivers and authorities normalize the situation as quickly as possible.”