Data Items

Using telematics devices, cars can distribute data for many purposes for an end-user. Car data is created by electrical sensors linked to the ECU or Electronic Control Unit. An ECU is linked to an onboard telematics device which transmits live data. A user in a central location receives this data over the air, with an end interface that can be configured in a way that works for their business.Many attributes of a car can be transmitted live or at set intervals using GPS and mobile data networks.

Using car data, fleet management companies analyse their vehicles to help reduce costs, prevent maintenance issues and schedule service appointments in advance. Governments and councils can use car technical data to better manage traffic. Insurance companies can have real-world use cases for their customers and the introduction of smart cities with connected cars results in more efficient infrastructure. Most importantly, emergency services receive live vehicle data to accurately locate an accident, with automatic triggers to call ambulances if the vehicle senses it is in a severe accident.

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Our connected car data catalogue grows with every new manufacturer. Explore the variety of data items available via our Auto API.

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Our data catalog on Airtable contains technical information specific to each data category, including its properties and their production availability.

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What Is Estimated Range Data?

The data used to work out the estimated range is a combination of past driving cycles and the remaining fuel level. The average fuel efficiency over recent trips is used to predict the future fuel efficiency of the driver. This is combined with the remaining fuel or charge level is used to give a km reading for drivers to estimate when they next need to refuel their vehicle.

Use Cases

Electric vehicles come in many different battery sizes. Just as petrol or diesel cars come in different fuel tank sizes. To determine the range of a vehicle, several estimations are used to calculate.

The ECU (Engine Control Unit) is fed fuel level, driving data, speed, engine rpm and other factors from in-built sensors to work out the estimated range. Telematics units within vehicles can transmit estimated range data to a fleet manager who can identify nearby fuel or charge stations that drivers can use. Without the driver needing to take extra time out of their schedule.

Electric Vehicles are catching up to combustion-powered cars in terms of range, but currently need to be refuelled more often. Vehicle chargers are sometimes unavailable or faulty and fleet managers can use location and estimated range data to work out nearby functional charge stations. This prevents drivers from being surprised when they find a faulty station.

The estimated range data can be compared to real range data once a vehicle has little fuel remaining. This can help work out which drivers are more fuel-efficient in an organisation. With incentives and awards being given to those who save on fuel costs.