Car rental company Sixt relies on a digital, IoT-enabled technology to optimize customer service and vehicle maintenance management.
With an integrated telematics platform, data retrieval and communication via IoT, virtual handling of customer interaction via smartphone app, condition monitoring of the vehicles and predictive maintenance are realized.
Sixt, based in Pullach in the district of Munich, and with 8,500 employees worldwide, is a provider of mobility services. Via app, customers have digital access to more than 280,000 vehicles and around 1.5 million connected drivers in around 110 countries.
The aim of technological solution integration is to optimize customer service and minimize waiting times during vehicle rental. The rental of vehicles should thus be possible outside business hours. At the same time, vehicle error messages are to be automatically recorded and transmitted in order to digitally map vehicle maintenance processes and intervals, and to trigger immediate corrections.
Objectives
A telematics box installed in the vehicle interior is connected to the vehicle's on-board computer for external communication. The solution operates via mobile network combined with M2M technologies. A GPS and a GSM module as well as gyro sensors are integrated in the box. The box is used for data retrieval and communication, virtual handling of customer interaction, vehicle condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance applications.
The IoT-enabled box queries vehicle data – from fuel level to mileage – for condition and damage assessment for the digital rental contract and transparent billing. The box is used to control the unlocking and locking of the vehicle when the vehicle is handed over or returned.
Customers can use a smartphone app to access functions and vehicle data after a Fastlane registration. Available vehicles can be selected digitally by touch, rented and unlocked using a virtual key.
The telematics box records and monitors safety-relevant data for predictive maintenance, for example the current tire pressure of the vehicle in real time. If the measured values show significant deviations from the target value when the vehicle is returned, the Telematics box sends an error message to the overarching system. A gyro sensor integrated in the box measures and analyses acceleration and shock data, thus detecting an emergency or car accident and can send an emergency signal.
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