User:Uriasherman/sandbox
Carsharing Technology Overview
Carsharing technology is a generic term used to describe technological systems designed to power Carsharing services; a self-service solution for short term car rentals.
The solution has multiple applications, including, but not limited to:
• Classic carsharing operators
• Peer to Peer operators
• A to B carsharing programs
• Internal Carsharing services for large enterprise and government fleets
The solution integrates on-board vehicle hardware with software for managing and reserving the vehicles. Using the technology, drivers are able to reserve vehicles online, and then access them using a RFID card, or their mobile device. As no human interaction is required, these vehicles are normally spread over a large geographical area, and can be rented for short periods of time. The locking and immobilization of the vehicle is controlled via the system, and the car keys are normally left inside the vehicle.
Hardware
The hardware refers to an electronic device installed in the vehicle. Early versions of the hardware were connected to the CANBUS which required constant adaptation of supported vehicle protocols, but more modern units have bypassed this requirement, and are directly to the vehicles subsystems. These units usually have the following components
• Central unit
o GPS receiver
o Cellular modem (GPRS and SMS communication)
• RFID reader
• Voice Kit
• Sensors
o Accident sensors
o Fuel Sensors
The hardware system is connected to the components above, as well as to the relevant vehicle functions (lock/unlock, immobilize, doors, horn etc). In addition, the unit may have additional vehicle fleet capabilities, such as driver behavior alerts, security functionality, or no communication logic. This entire hardware system normally communicated with a central server via GPRS, SMS's or both.
Software
The software solution includes the following components
Front end reservation system:
Used by drivers to manage their accounts and make vehicle reservations
Mobile application
Similar to the front end system, but designed on a mobile plarform such as iphone or android.
Back-end management system
The bulk of the software is the back-end system. This software is used to manage the operation, and includes the following components:
- CRM and membership
- Billing
- Fleet management
Industry developments
- Server-side Logic
Carsharing technologies have slowly been moving away for logic laden units, towards light server side controlled hardware. As the Carsharing industry is still in its infancy, and constantly developing, these units have proven to be more agile, and easier to adapt to the fast moving industry.
- On board monitors
While earlier versions of Carsharing hardware featured on board monitor, which users could make reservations from, newer versions of the hardware have moved away from this technology. Instead, they are utilizing mobile technology to interface with the customer. This move significantly reduced the cost of the on-board units, and has increased the agility of the human interface.
- CANBUS
The first generation of Carsharing hardware integrated with the vehicles CANBUS. As the market has evolved however, this method has been restrictive (especially for Peer to Peer operators). As opposed to directly connecting to the vehicle subsystems which is standard in all vehicle types, every vehicle has a unique CANBUS protocol, and the system can only be installed in a restricted number of vehicle types.
Suppliers
While some operators develop their own software, many choose to purchase off-the-shelf products that are available for purchase to reduce possible development complications and increase time to market. Those who develop independent software often choose to integrate with an existing hardware supplier.
Software
- Metavera
- Opencar
- Cantaman
Hardware
- Convadis
- Invers