There are more than 3.5 million officially registered cars in Hungary today. Their average age exceeds ten years and they often break down on the road. The Hungarian Automobile Club launched its breakdown assistance service (Yellow Angels) in 1958 and the backend system used to support this service has been continuously developed ever since. Yellow Angels are always on the road looking for broken down cars. The organization is constantly developing its solutions to accelerate assistance and reduce its environmental impact.
In response to the trend of digital transformation, the Automobile Club decided to digitise its entire backend system. As a result, this spring saw the launch of a pilot for a brand new, fully automated online dispatch service. After the successful pilot, the Automobile Club also implemented a mobile app enabling drivers to easily call the closest Yellow Angel based on their GSP location data. Assistance staff learn important information about the car already by the time they arrive onsite. Yellow Angels are continuously in touch with drivers in trouble using Telenor’s Hipernet Network. Drivers can use the new app to track the arrival of assistance which increases their sense of safety. In the meantime, the app provides valuable advice to them to help prevent so-called secondary accidents. Based on the Automobile Club’s statistics, drivers stopping at the roadside due a technical defect still cause a high number of secondary accidents, including fatal ones by their inadequate actions (such as the improper use of a high-visibility vest or an emergency triangle).
The Automobile Club’s new automated dispatch system transfers the emergency call received through the app to the closest Yellow Angel in 13 seconds that typically heads off to the site based on the information received in 1 to 3 minutes of the time of the call. This year, the 80-strong field team provided assistance in 50,000 cases using the Yellow Angel fleet of 50 cars. The most common issues include starting from cold, tyre replacement and technical troubleshooting. In 80% of the cases, the assistance service helps those in need through the modernized digital system.
Telenor announces service to drivers
The mobile network available along the roads has not only a safety function but it also enables drivers and passengers to simultaneously use several online applications while on the road including navigation, music, video streaming, a WiFi hotspot feature and voice calls. In December, Telenor will launch Drivey, a smart watch for cars, which includes a small gadget and an associated smartphone app.
Using Drivey, drivers can make their older cars with an onboard computer smarter. They only need an ODB II port which is available in most cars manufactured after the early 2000s. Following fast and easy connection, the Drivey mobile app will show the driver’s car usage patterns, mileage, fuel consumption, sudden revvings of the engine and powerful brakings, or the current location of the car when parking. It will also display useful preventive information and error messages about the car’s technical condition. On the map of the app, you can even set a virtual fence whose crossing is automatically reported by the system to the car owner.
The service is available in two versions: 2G and 4G. An added benefit of the second version is that Drivey functions as an always-available WiFi hotspot in the car up to the data limit included in the Drivey plan. Telenor’s new solution is an ideal tool both for consumers and businesses with a small vehicle fleet. If the app is used with multiple cars, the position and data of all cars equipped with Drivey and paired to the main app are displayed on a dashboard. The service to be launched in the first half of December will be available for a monthly fee. Users will get the car-mountable gadget without an upfront payment. Drivey will also feature a banner encouraging drivers to download the Automobile Club’s new app and the 188 MAK emergency number.
Besides currently available smart solutions, what do researchers think about the future of cars and driving?
The future of driving will bring many surprises. A few decades ago, many people expected flying cars to be the way of the future. With the development of artificial intelligence, however, now autonomous cars are more on the agenda. “Components enabling a higher level of autonomy will soon be available in the market. Yet, the long-term future is unpredictable. In the near future, cars will have a higher level of autonomy in simple manoeuvres such as motorway driving or parking”, said Dr. Péter Gáspár, Head of the Research Lab for System and Control Theory at SZTAKI.
For vehicles to be fully autonomous, a long list of issues still needs to be resolved. They include technology issues (how the camera will work in blinding sunlight), transportation issues (how autonomous vehicles will manage passers-by) and legal issues (who will bear the responsibility for incidents). SZTAKI focuses on the resolution of technology issues. They’ve already designed a system enabling a line of trucks to drive efficiently and low on fuel. Another research field is priority rules at intersections – with special consideration e.g. to vehicles using a siren and emergency lights, as well as long trucks with a longer braking distance. In addition, SZTAKI studies environmental images, the processing of data from LIDAR laser radars mounted on the top of autonomous vehicles, as well the processing of images captured by car cameras.