As excitement over the announcements made at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) plunges, global software company SAP seems to be betting its coins on connected technology. The company demonstrated a new technology to make life easier for drivers and rental car users through Internet of Things (IoT) collaboration with Concur Technologies, Hertz and Nokia.
SAP also announced that Mojio, an open-source connected vehicle platform and app provider for Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA, has joined its Vehicles Network and will provide parking and fueling through its app in the United States and Europe.
“With leading partners like Hertz and Nokia and new customers like Mojio, SAP is delivering new levels of value for businesses and end consumers based on SAP Cloud Platform, SAP Leonardo and tight integration with Concur solutions,” said Tanja Rueckert, Executive Vice President, IoT and Digital Supply Chain, SAP.
He further added that SAP Vehicles Network puts the end consumer in the driver’s seat by transforming the vehicle into the ultimate digital wallet and making car rental into a seamless, intelligent experience.
Moving ahead with collective strength
Vehicles Network is built on the SAP HANA Cloud Platform, now re-branded as SAP Cloud Platform. This would enable participating network companies to provide mobility services to drivers and passengers. By standardizing the business processes, the company believes that its Vehicles Network would enable integration and collaboration to facilitate new revenue streams and business opportunities for network members.
The new collaboration showcased at Mobile World Congress draws on the strengths of each participating vendor.
Concur, Hertz, SAP and other members of the Nokia-founded IoT Community, a worldwide ecosystem of companies collaborating on the development of innovative IoT solutions, drove the development of the connected rental car experience.
Nokia provided its Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things (IMPACT) to securely control and manage devices and sensors in the vehicle, including the personalization of driver settings and entertainment systems. It also provides automatic configuration of in-vehicle communications without Bluetooth paring, which ensures data privacy for drivers. IMPACT works in conjunction with payment systems in SAP Vehicles Network for parking and fueling authorization to create a seamless and driver-optimized experience.
Hertz, a rental car company, is exploring the use of connected-car technology in collaboration with technology and travel players such as SAP, Nokia and Concur. It is evaluating the opportunity to integrate travel and itinerary planning, along with in-car personalization, through its customer apps as part of an elevated car-rental experience.
With the connected car prototype, Concur claims to provide business travelers with automated route guidance through Triplink integration, in addition to accessing trip reporting capabilities for all travel-related expenses, including parking and fueling transactions. All in-trip payment transactions can be reported in Concur Expense solutions in real time and be ready for the traveler to submit by the time the trip is complete.
Also, Mojio’s cloud integration with SAP Vehicles Network would enable drivers to plan and reserve a parking spot based on calendar events or search, as well as to find and pay for a spot in real time based on the connected vehicle’s location. A “tap” inside Mojio’s app can help the user toggle between personal and business, allowing for automated expense reporting to Concur solutions.
In this way, SAP Vehicles Network is aiming to make any car smart and transactional by providing drivers with cashless access to on- and off-street parking and connected fueling stations. It would help minimizing unnecessary drive time and fuel expenditures and reduce traffic and emissions caused by drivers searching for open spaces.