UBI pilot games Weekly Brief—8.20.2012
In this week's Brief: Aviva, Progressive, Allstate, Ford, Hyundai, Qualcomm, MapmyIndia, TomTom and Texas Instruments
The insurance telematics pilot games continued this week as Aviva announced the trial of a new driver behavior app called “RateMyDrive.” Aviva is looking for 5,000 drivers with android smartphones to test the app, which will monitor motorists taking part in the trial for 200 miles, taking tabs on some of the usual UBI metrics—acceleration, braking—plus some new ones, like cornering.
The data will then be turned into an individual score that will help determine the motorist’s premium, with safer drivers earning up to a 20 percent discount off their premiums; a model more akin to Progressive’s Snapshot than Allstate’s DriveWise.
“Unlike traditional ‘black box’ telematics solutions, Aviva RateMyDrive app only needs a small amount of data – typically 200 miles – to create an individual driver profile,” says Steve Treloar, Aviva’s retail director. “And because the app is free to download and uses the customer’s own smartphone, there is no need for motorists to have a black box installed in their car.”
So far the app has been trialled among Aviva staff.
Ford launched its in-car connectivity system SYNC in Europe with the release of the Ford B-MAX, a four-door compact sedan. SYNC comes pre-installed in the dashboard with voice activation and emergency assistance loaded.
The car will come with SYNC’s other standard features as well—Bluetooth connection for mobile phones, music control using voice commands, automatic transfer of contact information to the vehicle, and audio text message reading.
Hyundai announced that the 2013 Genesis will come equipped with the Blue Link Telematics system. Harnessing a smartphone for connectivity, the system will provide voice-recognition software that understands street addresses and cities for the in-dash nav system.
The route screen displays speed limits, details the next three navigation maneuvers, shows real highway signage, and has junction views with lane guidance.
The car will also be equipped with automatic lane guidance, which outlines the lanes the driver needs to stay in when a highway splits.
Qualcomm announced the upcoming commercial availability of the Driver Telematics Application, which provides fleet owners with a real-time solution to manage and monitor subcontractors.
Specifically, the app gives transportation companies real-time data on the progress of each trip, including location, load information and status and workflow, which can be seamlessly integrated into the company’s back-office system.
The app will be available through Google Play (Android Market) by end of summer and can be installed on any Android smartphone.
MapmyIndia launched CarPad 5, an all-in-one GPS navigator, smartphone and 3G tablet. The device comes pre-loaded with Aura, MapmyIndia’s fully 3D and connected GPS navigation interface.
MapmyIndia’s maps have been rated as the most accurate and comprehensive digital maps in India and, on CarPad 5, offer real-time traffic updates, house level search, security track and trace, and LBS services like discount offers in the vicinity of the car. The device sells for Rs 19,990 (roughly 229 pounds)
TomTom signed a 10-year partnership with VMZ Berlin, the operator of Berlin's Traffic Information Center. TomTom will provide VMZ Berlin with real-time traffic information for Berlin and for selected parts of the State of Brandenburg.
By using TomTom's HD Flow traffic product, TomTom says that traffic management in Berlin can react faster to traffic congestion and improve traffic information for citizens, enterprises and media.
TomTom HD Flow delivers speed information for all main roads so that traffic flow can be visualised and evaluated to assess true travel times for the entire road network.
Texas Instruments introduced two new chipsets aimed at improving automotive safety. By combining multiple camera modules with advanced image analysis, drivers can monitor road conditions, detect hazards and avoid collisions.
The DS90UB913Q serializer and DS90UB914Q deserializer provide seamless video and data interface to megapixel driver assist camera modules, with no software overhead and fewer wires, resulting in reduced power consumption, cost and weight.
The chipsets are available for a suggested retail price of $5.36 for each device in 1,000-unit quantities.
For more on the insurance telematics space, see Special Report: Insurance Telematics.
For all the latest trends in insurance telematics, check out Insurance Telematics USA 2012 on September 5-6 in Chicago and Telematics Munich 2012 on October 29-30.
For exclusive insurance telematics business analysis and insight, read TU’s Smart Vehicle Technology: The Future of Insurance Telematics report.
