Introduction
People from different parts of the world are surrounded by numerous gadgets, technologies, and automatic systems daily. A contemporary person uses a variety of electronic devices to work, rest, and communicate with their friends or relatives. The twenty-first century is considered to be the beginning of the robot era as it is almost impossible to organize individuals’ lives without the help of such everyday conveniences as computers, mobile phones, automatic house mechanisms, and so on. Everything described above can be generalized by calling it the Internet of Things. This term is considered to be a neologism, and it remains at an early development stage before diffusing all over the world. The following paper intends to discuss the world’s transportation system with regards to the Internet of Things as this sphere already demonstrates particular changes and advanced technologies, making people reconsider the general perception of a vehicle.
Proposal for an Internet of Things Product
Recently, many drivers noticed that some cars do not require human intervention into such processes as steering and hitting floor pedals. For instance, one of the most innovative technologies lets a person relax while staying in a traffic jam as his or her automobile carries out all the movement operations (braking, accelerating, shifting gears, and so on). Moreover, the world’s first popular electric car manufacturer, Tesla, presented a new technology that does not require human intervention into a single part of the driving process (Calabrese, 2014). Today, it is possible to arrive at point B from point A only by setting a destination on a computer. Therefore, the IoT proposed product of this paper is an automotive car. Perhaps, this revolutionary technology was used by military forces in the previous century. Nevertheless, its philosophy is different in the modern world as driverless cars became global.
The statement of the need for the IoT product described above seems to be pointless at first. However, this innovation might let physically challenged or blind people have a convenient means of transport. Perhaps, regular drivers might not realize that automotive vehicles can be useful. However, such privilege will reduce the amount of time consumed by congested traffic daily (Calabrese, 2014). People lose approximately three to four hours every day because of traffic jams and long destinations, whereas self-driving vehicles are intended to let them attend to their affairs during every trip. Although this industry is not developed and popular in all countries of the world yet, there is nothing similar proposed on the global transportation market as only modern cars with built-in controlling systems have this option.
The Internet of Things revolutionary idea proposed previously is much better than other transportation methods as it implies personal property. It remains a car that lets its users be independent of public transport and travel with comfort. Also, modern luxurious automobiles are fitted with conveniences for backseat passengers such as a small desk and a sleeping place. Therefore, it is not necessary to keep one’s eyes on the road anymore (Calabrese, 2014). People who own self-driving vehicles have much more time for solving their problems rather than controlling a situation on the road. Also, the proposed product differs from other available transportation options by the fact that it knows a particular destination point and delivers a person exactly to the place which he or she sets at the beginning of every trip.
Description of the Transportation Market
The Internet of Things Product proposed in the previous paragraph solves the problem of the transportation market as it saves the clients’ time that is usually spent on driving and performing various maneuvers on the road. Another problem of the market is presented by the high price of fuel that has been increasing recently, whereas modern driverless automobiles are predominately electric (Höller, 2014). Therefore, customers can reduce their transportation expenses by refusing to use benzene, diesel, and natural gas to replenish their vehicles. Another issue of the global market is that physically challenged people cannot drive different means of transport with combustion engines due to the complexity of operations that this process requires. Individuals with particular body defects or issues can now become a part of a “traffic community” by using the innovative technology described above.
Automotive cars are not intended to grow excitement as these vehicles are designed to fulfill people’s regular needs. Therefore, they should not be extreme or entertaining due to the safety requirements and laws that must be followed by all drivers (Höller, 2014). However, some clients might find it exciting to attend to their affairs while a car is controlled automatically. Nevertheless, these emotions are likely to settle down after using self-driving technology for an extended period.
Indeed, electric cars, which do not require human intervention into the driving process, have a significant impact on other existing products on the market. As it was mentioned in the first part of this paper, the pioneer company that managed to invent automotive vehicles for an average consumer is called Tesla. After several years of successful business, other world leaders started to develop similar technologies and build them into their final products (Höller, 2014). This factor increased competition in the global transportation market. Therefore, such qualities as reliability, safety, and affordability of these automobiles are improving every year.
It is essential to state that transportation markets in such countries as the United States of America, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and China increased significantly after a new offer presented at European shows. Indeed, automotive cars create a new product offering as these means of transport are available for people without driver licenses. It is essential to state that innovative technology is programmed according to the traffic rules and law that has to be followed by every driver. To avoid accidents and misunderstandings with other people on the road, self-driving cars have an emergency braking system and other sensors that identify distances between the edge of the vehicle and different barriers (Höller, 2014). Moreover, such automobiles will not break the speed limit in the territory of a particular country as its navigation system recognizes various locations and uses appropriate settings in different instances.
Electronic Commerce Support
Electronic commerce is essential in modern relationships between a business and its partners or customers as different reports, operations or delivery processes became much easier to operate. Automotive vehicles also play a significant role in this corporate strategy as a method of information exchange due to the system that does not require any human intervention (Höller, 2014). The following paragraphs will explain the beneficial options of this technology in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) relations on the transportation market.
Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce
Every business has certain logistics operations that have to be evaluated, supported, and analyzed. It is a well-known fact that various companies supply their partners with necessary raw materials or final products for a future manufacturing process. Recently, the Volvo Company has announced its automotive trucks that can transport approximately twenty tons of cargo. The computer built in such vehicles will be able to analyze the necessary amount of fuel required for a particular trip (Yang & Coughlin, 2014). Moreover, the electronic system can be controlled with the help of online applications. Although such cars can arrive at destination points without any issues, it is advantageous to hire a person to observe the road situation as it might become unpredictable.
Business-to-Customer Electronic Commerce
A company that sells its self-driving vehicles should communicate with its clients. Therefore, the owners of automotive cars might receive vital information about their automobiles to their computers. The means of transport will demonstrate all the updates available at dealerships for a particular model (Yang & Coughlin, 2014). Also, the system will provide its users with such information as the mileage of a car, its range, and other necessary data. It would be proper to state that all the insurance services are also available for the vehicles’ owners that can order a certain type of document via their automobiles’ computers.
Pros and Cons of the Product
As every Internet of Things product, automotive cars also have their advantages and disadvantages that will be described below. It would be proper to state that electric vehicles with self-driving systems are new to customers (Yang & Coughlin, 2014). Therefore, no one knows their reliability and quality factors yet. Moreover, people did not have enough time to learn the options and characteristics of these automobiles.
The Advantages of Automotive Cars
The first advantage of the self-driving mechanisms is their ability to park. The control system built in these vehicles sets proper turning angles and avoids collisions with different types of barriers. Therefore, drivers don’t need to master parking skills anymore (Yang & Coughlin, 2014). Another advantage is traffic control, as a person might enjoy one’s favorite hobby, business, or movie while the vehicle’s system focuses on the road. This feature will provide people with additional time for dealing with their matters when commuting.
The Disadvantages of Automotive Cars
The most important disadvantage of automotive cars is the probability of various errors in their electronic systems. This factor might lead to an accident or even a road catastrophe. Another con of self-driving vehicles is their inability to travel long distances due to a limited range and considerably short battery life (Yang & Coughlin, 2014). The last disadvantage lies in the emotional perception of such cars as many people want their daily drivers to combine both high-speed characteristics and comfort.
Conclusion
Nowadays, people are surrounded by the Internet of Things devices almost everywhere. The latest invention of car manufacturers implies the ability to travel without a driver’s intervention. Such companies as Tesla and Volvo have already presented these options to the global market. Although there are many advantages of automotive vehicles, such as an easier and more comfortable drive for physically challenged people, the technology cannot be considered safe as it is yet not fully tested. Therefore, there is always a menace of a collision on the roads.
References
Calabrese, G. (2014). Greening of the automotive industry. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Höller, J. (2014). From machine-to-machine to the internet of things: Introduction to a new age of intelligence. Amsterdam, NL: Elsevier.
Yang, J., & Coughlin, J. F. (2014). In-vehicle technology for self-driving cars: Advantages and challenges for aging drivers. International Journal of Automotive Technology, 15(2), 333-340. Web.