The first in an open-ended series of features on the tech industry's involvement in the commercial vehicle space, this article takes a glance at how the technology, business model, and culture of 'Silicon Valley-type' start-ups have already changed the way the CV industry works.

Paccar says that select Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks built from 2024 onwards will be installed with Virtual Vehicle, an edge computing platform that provides access to telematics, real-time data and third-party applications directly from the vehicle.

Acquiring Intellic expands ZF’s current product and service offerings in the area of connected vehicle technologies - it envisages a single box (a ‘Connectivity Hub’) which will be able to reliably and accurately collect and relay data from multiple sources, including advanced driver assistance systems and electronic braking systems.

'Mobilisights’ will have exclusive access to data taken from connected vehicles sold under the group’s many brands, which it will sell to third parties such as government, utility companies, and research institutions.

'MAN SimplePay' allows the truck to automatically pay for fuel at the pump and forward the bill to the fleet manager, meaning that the driver does not have to pay manually by cash or card. 

The two companies have made a ‘Central Communication Unit’ which integrates multiple electronic controllers in a single hub, and they plan to continue the collaboration further.

The ‘Heat Belt’ is designed to provide close-to-body warmth between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius while using just 70 watts of energy, providing a low-energy alternative to conventional heating systems.

The "Health" feature notifies managers of potential faults, while "Safety" monitors driving behaviour through acceleration and braking data.

Safra’s new brand, called ‘Vhysion’, brings together three distinct products in a single portal: for fleet management, vehicle data analytics and vehicle diagnostics.

A new one million sq. ft. site will house some 6,500 employees and will predominantly be responsible for automotive research and development (R&D) housing hi-tech hardware, software and vehicle testing facilities.

DICV will partner with IITMIC to identify, mentor, and provide opportunities to Indian technology start-up companies which will work towards finding new solutions for the Indian mobility space, in the years ahead.

“Order Now” for Geotab Marketplace software, allows Geotab customers to manage ordering, delivery and after-sales support right from their software.