The document discusses bringing Android-based platforms and apps into vehicles. It notes opportunities for new vehicle apps but also challenges around safety, control, and standards. The document envisions an in-vehicle service platform running native Android that would allow certified third-party apps to access vehicle data and systems through a vehicle API while ensuring safety and control. Android is positioned as having great potential to become the leading open platform for innovative vehicle apps and services.

1. The Android Passenger
Towards Android-based In-Vehicle Service Platforms
Jörg Decker, Capgemini
droidcon 2012, March, 14th

2. Due to its openness and attractive ecosystem, Android
already appeared on all kinds of platforms ...
?
... will Android also make it into cars?
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 2

3. Agenda
• Bringing the smart phone experience into cars
• Opportunities for vehicle apps
• The vehicle context matters: challenges and limitations
• Distribution and control: vehicle app stores?
• Integration approaches
• Android as an in-vehicle service platform
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 3

4. Today’s smart phone users demand for seamless integration
of their existing digital world into vehicles
Mail & Phone & • Users are spoiled by the fast-pace
Contacts IM entertainment industry with small
Business Notifi- innovation cycles
Calendar cations • Digital services become an important
differentiating factor for the OEMs
Docu- Feeds,
ments News
Audio Favourite
Content Apps
Social
Pictures Media
Video Games
• Drivers and passengers want to stay online
when entering their car
• Consumers want to connect their devices and
expect the same digital services and data
within their car
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 4

5. There are many opportunities for new and innovative services
and apps for cars!
Is there a car
app for that?
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 5

6. What are the major challenges for bringing apps into
vehicles?
Angry birds while driving? All lifestyle! No real need ...
How about safety? Are we able to control and maintain this?
Who pays for that? What about security?
Nice – but let’s build cars ... App quality? Fear of image loss
Challenges for the Automotive Industry
• Keeping driving safe and avoiding distraction
• Focussing on the important use cases and innovations that make
the difference and that customers want to pay for
• Finding the right platform, distribution model and degree of
control
• Coping with increasing complexity and higher costs due to
testing and certification
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 6

7. How open should the app platform be? Who builds and
controls the vehicle apps?
Closed Third-party Certified Open
platform apps apps platform
Proprietary Ordered by Controlled almost no
apps OEMs openness restrictions
OEM Dev
Community
Degree of the
OEM’s overall
control
Control of
safety
regulations and
integration
Innovation
potential
App diversity =
sales argument
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 7

8. The driving context matters - avoiding distraction and driving
safety must stay a top priority
“Of those people killed in distracted-driving-related crashes, 995 “Of those injured in distracted-driving-related crashes, 24,000
involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction involved reports of a cell phone as a distraction
(18% of fatalities in distraction-related (5% of injured people in distraction-related
crashes)”.*) crashes)”.*)
Human–Machine–Interfaces (HMI)
Input Controls (Touch) Speakers / Mics
Displays
• In-car apps and services should
– Have an optimized UI/UX for in-vehicle usage In-Vehicle
– Use existing car interfaces and speech control Service
Platform
– Have common access points and navigation patterns
– Be context-aware (driving situation, parking, passenger seat)
*) TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS, Distracted Driving 2009
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation © 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 8

9. Integration Example: mirroring the smart phone screen to the
head unit display
Human–Machine–Interfaces
Speech
control Input (Touch) Displays
Controls
Text-to-
Speakers
Speech / Mics
In-Vehicle Service Smart Phone
Platform • There is no common standard for
App App
App external device integration today
– basic support exists via Bluetooth and
media protocols
– A bunch of devices and some new car
models expected in 2012 with support
• Apps share the display and can run on the for MirrorLink™
service platform and on the smart phone
– “Headless” Integration Example: Ford
• App controlled by the physical vehicle SYNC ® AppLink™ : e.g. web radio,
interfaces TTS twitter client, news client
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 9

10. Vehicle data apps example: social networking fuel
consumption contest
Who of you is the
greenest driver?
Besides me ...
FORD OpenXC, “Fuel Efficiency Monitor” Renault R-Link, LeWeb 11
TechCrunch 2011 – Open Hardware Approach
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 10

11. Vehicle data access today: we developed an Android app
prototype that accesses real-time data via On-Board Diagnostics
Vehicle Vehicle Network
OBD Port
Data
App ECU ECU
OBD
Bluetooth OBD II OBD
BT Adapter CAN
Use-Cases: Challenges:
• Fuel consumption • Access is very low-level via OBDII messages
calculation • Fuel consumption calculation for different fuel
• Social media features, types based on standard OBD data
trip recording • Access to vendor-specific data usually not
published
The Future:
• No external hardware should be required
• The vehicle service platform should provide data access via a standard Car-
API
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 11

12. VISION: in-vehicle service platform running native Android
Human–Machine–Interface (HMI) • Native Android apps can be installed by the user
and run directly on the service platform
• User Interface
– Navigation based on a directional controller
In-Vehicle Service Platform without touchpad possible (focusable=true)
– Enhanced speech-control and text-to-speech
App Mgmt. support
(OEM-Spec Implementation)
(OEM) Service
(OEM) • Vehicle-API provides access to vehicle data and
App controls
Vehicle-API
(Certified)
Apps – <uses-feature
Market name=“vendor.car.model”>
App (OEM) – Sensor.TYPE_VEHICLE_SPEED
(Devs) • Car-specific providers, services, intents
– VehicleSpecificationProvider
Android
– RealTimeCarDataService [AIDL]
– android.intent.action.CAR_PARKED
– android.intent.action.BATTERY_LOW
• App distribution
Vehicle Network (Low-Level)
– Google Market: your car is just another device
showing up in your Android market account
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 12

13. Android’s arriving - Renault R-Link: tablet-based service
platform running Android
Announcements (Sept. 2011):
• 50 Apps will be available in the “Renault Market”
• Starting in 2012: Renault Clio
• Distribution model: app certification by vendor
• Dashboard-mounted tablet
• Opportunity for App developers and companies
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 13

14. Android has great a potential for being the first-choice open
platform for innovative vehicle apps and services
Summary
• Vehicle-context: driving safety and distraction
Challenges • Degree of control: open vs. closed platform
• Still no established standards: OEMs still in the phase of
finding the best solution
• Security and patch management
• Portable, extensible, powerful open source stack
Android’s
• Open architecture, strong security concepts
Pole Position • Proven solutions and use-cases for management and
distribution of apps
• Low risk for a “dead end solution” for the OEMs
• Developer community eager to conquer new platforms
• Excellent chances for Android to become the first-choice
platform for innovative vehicle apps and services -
beyond infotainment
• Certification-based app platform fits best for a safety-
critical vehicle environment with demand for high quality
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 14

15. More information
About Capgemini
Capgemini, one of the world's get the right balance of the best talent
foremost providers of consulting, from multiple locations, working as one
technology and outsourcing services, team to create and deliver the optimum
enables its clients to transform and solution for clients.
perform through technologies. Present in more than 35 countries,
Capgemini provides its clients with Capgemini reported 2010 global
insights and capabilities that boost their revenues of EUR 8.7 billion and
freedom to achieve superior results employs over 112,000 people
through a unique way of working, the worldwide.
Collaborative Business ExperienceTM. More information is available at:
The Group relies on its global delivery www.capgemini.com
model called Rightshore®, which aims to
© 2012 Capgemini. All rights reserved. 15