TATA Motors
Monetizing Vehicle Sensor Data of Heavy Commercial Vehicles
TATA motors is a 35 Billion USD global automobile manufacturing company operating in over 65 countries. Its diverse portfolio includes an extensive range of cars, SUVs, Trucks, Lorries and defence vehicles.
Background
Starting from 2021, Tata Motors has equipped all their Heavy Commercial Vehicles (HCVs) with a 'High-touch' device that captures live data streams and allows for real-time monitoring of vehicle health and location. Currently, there are over 300,000 vehicles on the road with this device, relaying data back to central servers. Originally designed for service teams at authorized centers to gauge vehicle health and support maintenance activities, this data stream can potentially be monetized for end customers.
Brief
The trucking industry in India is highly fragmented and competitive, with the majority of fleets consisting of less than 10 vehicles. As a result, there is a steep price pressure and narrow profit margins, especially in periods of oversupply or intense competition. These challenges are further exacerbated by elevated fuel costs, intricate regulatory frameworks, and a scarcity of proficient and dependable drivers. Lastly, the limited penetration of technology especially amongst drivers vastly reduces opportunities to leverage technology.
Problem Statement
Design a service for generating revenue from the existing IoT 'High Touch' device that captures vehicle location, health and usage data.
Design a service for generating revenue from the existing IoT 'High Touch' device that captures vehicle location, health and usage data.
Potential End Users
Fleet Owners who own between 2 to 20 HCVs (Trucks, Flatbeds)
Needs
+ Fleet Overview including visibility of fleet health and driver availability
+ Reliable Drivers who deliver timely and care for vehicles
+ Optimisation of Routes to minimise deadheading
+ Maximising Return on Investment by getting enticing deliveries
+ Reduction in Running Cost arising from fuel and damage
+ Tracking Vehicle Lifecycle to ensure optimum Vehicle Health
+ Ensuring Compliance through accurate documentation and insurance
+ Alerts on Vehicle Breakdown to trigger in roadside support
Truckers who run the HCVs
Needs
+ Route Planning to find quickest routes
+ Good Vehicle Health to avoid vehicle breakdown
+ Prompt access to Vehicle Support
+ Communication with hubs and delivery
+ Realtime Information on Weather and Rest-stops
+ Available Documentation for state crossing and policing
Given Fleet Owners have a greater 'skin-in-the-game' and have a capacity to pay for the service, we will be prioritising them for the service.
Fleet Owner Profile - based on interviews
Competitor analysis
Data Curation and Abstraction
The device captures four data sources relaying vehicle health, location, fuel usage and maintenance cycle.
These can be repackaged into 4 themes
+ Health
+ Operations
+ Monitoring
+ Maintenance
Taking into account the needs of Fleet Owners and the available data, we have developed a service that effectively bridges these two aspects. Our innovative solution not only addresses the specific needs of Fleet Owners but also presents a potential monetisation opportunity.
The core objective of our service is to digitize and automate various time-consuming activities that Fleet Owners are currently engaged in. By leveraging cutting-edge technology, our solution streamlines and optimises processes, significantly reducing the time and effort invested in tasks including
+ Fuel Management
+ Driver Usage Monitoring to identify reliable drivers
+ Ensuring Regulatory Compliance by ensure vehicle and drivers are compliant
+ Repository for Documentation
+ Scheduling Vehicle Maintenance Cycles
The app is a
+ documentation repository for the vehicle
High Level Design
Now that we have identified the correct customer to target, their needs and a way to fulfil them, we construct an HLD which outlines the broad system we need to build to make the product a reality.
For our POC we propose an AWS + Heroku architecture.
1. We use AWS IoT FleetWise for consolidation of data stream from the 'High-Touch Device'.
For our POC we propose an AWS + Heroku architecture.
1. We use AWS IoT FleetWise for consolidation of data stream from the 'High-Touch Device'.
2. This data is then stored in S3 buckets.
3. Next, the data is moved into an EC2 compute instance where it is aggregated and views are generated at a user level.
4. The views are finally presented in the front-end using a Heroku Web App.
4. The views are finally presented in the front-end using a Heroku Web App.
An important question to consider is whether we should develop web apps or should we spend dev time and capital in deploying a native application.
Now we need to package the product in a format that allows it to be consumed readily by Fleet Owners. While designing a layout, it's imperative to understand the mindset of the end consumer.
- What are the hooks we can use to bring back the customer?
- What are the hooks we can use to bring back the customer?
- What should the strategy for long term be?
- Should we leave scope of upsell?
- What parameters are likely to bring back the customer repeatedly?
The wireframe provided above splits the app into the Navbar at the bottom and the main landing page.
The Navbar at the bottom provides quick access to most important items for the end consumer.
The Navbar at the bottom provides quick access to most important items for the end consumer.
The landing page on the other hand is split into three sections. The aspirational section is meant into excite and engage the customer. For instance, sharing ride scores allows a Fleet Owner to be aware of vehicle usage in near real time, identifying poor drives. The purpose of the next to sections is displaying vehicle stage in its lifecycle, and providing scope for cross-sell / up-sell.
Risks
Opportunities
Phases
