Skip to main content

Car-sharing operators move to smartphone-based car access systems

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the Vehicle-sharing Technologies Market, finds that the global car-sharing user base will reach 26 million members by 2020. Car-sharing operators (CSOs) in North America will lead the way in terms of technology deployments, followed by Europe. To meet the growing demand, partnerships among CSOs, technology companies and original equipment manufacturers will gather pace. Over the years, vehicle-sharing technologies have evolved from simple manual
November 27, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
New analysis from 2097 Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of the Vehicle-sharing Technologies Market, finds that the global car-sharing user base will reach 26 million members by 2020. Car-sharing operators (CSOs) in North America will lead the way in terms of technology deployments, followed by Europe. To meet the growing demand, partnerships among CSOs, technology companies and original equipment manufacturers will gather pace.

Over the years, vehicle-sharing technologies have evolved from simple manual systems to increasingly complex computer-based systems. In the next three to seven years, the market will move away from off-the-shelf technologies toward open source software, plug and play systems and smartphone-based near field communications/ Bluetooth low energy (NFC/BLE) technologies. By 2025, automated driving, connected mobility and electric vehicle charging technologies will form the crux of the vehicle-sharing technology market.

“NFC based technologies are being incorporated as a basic standard in smartphones by the majority of the smartphone makers. This will unearth opportunities for cost-effective, smartphone-based remote vehicle control solutions,” said Frost & Sullivan intelligent mobility senior research analyst Albert Geraldine Priya. “CSOs will also be able to deliver a superior ‘car ownership’ experience through automatic personalisation features such as rear-view mirror and seat adjustments configured in the smartphone.”

On the flip side, smartphone-based access control and vehicle tracking solutions have several inherent security issues. The risk of hacking, interception of communication signals, thefts, data corruption and viruses will delay the adoption of smartphone-based vehicle-sharing solutions.

Concerns surrounding the effective integration of third party hardware and software solutions with business processes deter most car-sharing operators from subscribing to third-party services. In addition, legal regulations in some countries fail to create an environment conducive to the uptake of vehicle-sharing technologies. However, the advantages far outweigh the challenges.

“CSOs are looking to attract more subscribers by lowering costs and enhancing user experience through the integration of smartphone-based keyless access into car-sharing solutions,” noted Priya. “Semi-autonomous and fully autonomous cars in vehicle-sharing fleets will become a reality by 2018 and 2025 respectively, further simplifying car-sharing and opening up additional markets for participants in the vehicle-sharing technologies market.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Mobility itself is moving says cubic
    June 9, 2015
    Cubic’s Chris Bax looks at the challenges and benefits of implementing transport as a service. Imagine paying for travel in exactly the same way you buy your phone service. For example, you would pay a set amount in exchange for a monthly travel package covering up to 100km of free taxi journeys in your home city (including a guaranteed 15 minute pickup) and public transport usage within a 1,500km radius of your home. Not only would this option be cheaper than owning and maintaining your own car, you would
  • Study - Move to digital railway systems fuels need for big data
    March 13, 2015
    New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Strategic Analysis of Big Data in Rapid Transit, finds that global annual rail investment in big data will reach over US$2.14 billion by 2021. Investments will grow at a minimum of 60.3 per cent. The study covers hardware, big data distributions, data management components, analytics and visualisations, and services. The global rail market offers huge opportunities for big data technology providers. As some of the signalling equipment on rail networks is nearly 80 years o
  • Research ranks Bosch, Harman, and Continental as leading Tier One connected car vendors
    September 8, 2016
    ABI Research ranks Bosch as the leader among 20 Tier One connected car suppliers considered in its latest competitive analysis. Harman and Continental received second and third place, respectively. Bosch's explosive sales growth last year, significant capital expenditures to fund future development, cadre of strategic partnerships, and commitment to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) solutions place it in a strong position to pioneer the continuing evolution of the automotive industry.
  • Four predictions for the automotive and transportation industry
    May 30, 2012
    Frost & Sullivan has released the results from its customer survey with several hundred companies conducted in December 2011, executed to find out the top predictions for 2012 for the global automotive and transportation market. Market growth in all regions except Europe, accelerated introduction of plug in hybrid and battery electric vehicles due to increasing fuel prices, mobility and integrated transportation as well as the integration of the smart phone with dedicated application stores and innovative H