The industry is changing gears. While aesthetics, power, fuel economy and safety are always essential, the industry's overall focus is shifting toward developing greener, more sustainable vehicles and optimizing the automotive customer experience.
This is being driven by a complex mix of national regulations, technological advances, and a fundamental change in attitude toward car ownership and consumer demands for more sustainable vehicles.
Sustainability mobility
Importantly, the growing number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is fueling the answer to sustainable transport, e-mobility.
Such electrification is booming everywhere. With charging infrastructures improving and spreading, and EVs able to travel farther, the adoption of battery-driven cars is set to surge. This is especially true when used with hydrogen fuel cell technology to reduce costs, increase driving distances and produce zero emission.
Electrifying the experience
Naturally, driving needs still determine whether you use a combustion car, hybrid, or EV, but the number of electrified options is growing, leading to a fundamental change in the driver experience.
While some may miss the old days of loud, powerful engines, the advances within today's vehicles are turning them into a full automotive experience.
Yet some of the top-end EVs are extremely fast – the Polestar 2, with its dual-motor variant and Performance Pack, offers 455 hp. Things may be going green but that doesn't mean theress any compromise in quality and features.
When talking about features and experience, the industry isn't holding back. Of all the current customer experience trends in the industry, smart mobility that leads the way.
Focused on low-to-no emissions, smart mobility is about three things:
- Connected technology powered by the super low latency of 5G wireless.
- Autonomous driving that optimizes driving efficiencies while boosting the need for more entertainment features.
- Smart cities that use 5G networks, artificial intelligence, and big data to link with connected cars to better optimize traffic flows, automate car parking, search for potential incidents, alert emergency services and more.
Smarter solutions
To get this right, there has been huge uptake in the development of car-specific operating systems, apps and middleware.
As cars become more like computers on wheels, the need to safely manage, integrate and upgrade the features that consumers expect -- from onboard assistants to driver assistance systems -- is vital.
To ensure each system works individually as well as part of a cohesive whole, automotive software testing can't be ignored.
Today's automotive experience is more than getting from point A to B.
Digital in-car solutions and connected third-party devices can now support your commute, from EV charging to last mile navigation. These are all part of an in-car connected experience that requires robust automotive testing, such as usability or black box testing.
It's all part of the industry's ongoing automotive digital transformation.
What we're now seeing is the development of a fully interconnected mobility solution that is beyond just a "car."
It must match the expectations of drivers and deliver an automotive experience that balances novelty, personalization, cost-saving efficiency and sustainability. Next-generation digital services and solutions will take this even further.
Smart green machines rule
Powerful. Safe. Efficient. Connected. Entertaining. Sustainable. Environmentally-friendly.
That is what today's vehicles are all about.
Drivers are now more likely to brag about how far their EVs go on a single charge than engine size.
Cars can scan our face and tell us to have a break, guide us to the nearest charging station, play movies for the people in the back, let everyone go online, even automatically book us into our next service.
As vehicles become more intertwined with digital solutions and greener technologies, the industry must ensure complexity and a lack of testing doesn't ruin the experience and drive customers up the wall.
