03 May 2022 | Vaduz/Essen
In its search for a powerful and scalable telematics interface, thyssenkrupp subsidiary carValoo GmbH (Essen) has opted for the xTCU interface from GlobalmatiX AG. The start-up from Liechtenstein, a subsidiary of the listed Softing AG (Haar near Munich), can thus announce another significant order in Germany only a few months after its German product premiere. Based on artificial intelligence (AI), carValoo offers fleet operators, especially car sharing, rental car and logistics companies, digital solutions to reduce costs and increase operational performance. carValoo provides full transparency about the respective vehicle condition at any time and reports even the smallest damage events in real time. The data required for this is provided "over-the-air" through the GlobalmatiX xTCU interface and in real time.
Digitization and bi-directional communication "over-the-air" (OTA) between vehicle and owner is the key to cost-efficient as well as customer-oriented fleet management of the future. To this end, the automotive manufacturers' OTA offerings, which are now on the rise but focused on the end customer, are far from sufficient to meet the digital requirements in the large fleet sector. Both GlobalmatiX and carValoo are pioneers in this market, which currently comprises well over 250,000 vehicles in Germany in the carsharing and rental car sector alone and is growing steadily. The total potential in the German large fleet and freight transport sector is likely to be over three million vehicles. The big advantage for both GlobalmatiX and carValoo is brand independence. Both the xTCU interface and the AI software solutions from carValoo can be used in all cars, vans and trucks without any problems and can be transferred when vehicles are changed.
The xTCU interface is a 4G/LTE CAN datalogger and GPS telematics interface designed specifically for "car-to-cloud-to-company" use cases. Smaller than a smartphone, it can be installed in any vehicle in a matter of minutes, enabling the collection of OBD data or diagnostic data from ECUs. For car-sharing applications, the box can also open and close doors keylessly. The telematics interface, which is certified in the EU and USA, enables access to a wide range of vehicle data in the highest quality - regardless of the vehicle make. At the same time, GlobalmatiX offers an unprecedented level of security against unauthorized third-party access with its innovative, patented encryption technology and its own 4G/LTE mobile network.
Simply put, a single GlobalmatiX xTCU is capable of capturing and analyzing virtually all data measured by vehicle ECUs, supplemented by state-of-the-art accelerometers and GPS tracking, and transmitting it to the vehicle operator "over-the-air" in near real time. With the help of artificial intelligence in the so-called Big Data Cloud, this also enables qualified analysis of vehicle data, events and changes to the ideal state, which are then sent - to the extent desired by the fleet operator - to the vehicle management.
The basis of the carValoo offering is their cloud-based IOT platform. Here, the vehicle data transmitted through the GlobalmatiX xTCU interface is collected and transformed into customer-relevant information with the help of AI algorithms trained over years. This information is made available to the fleet management via WebApp frontend and a variety of APIs. Thus, carValoo offers maximum transparency about the respective technical condition of a vehicle. However, this goes far beyond remote diagnosis and location determination; it also includes, for example, the detection of damage of any shape and size as well as operation-critical events in real time.
Especially in cost-intensive claims management, which today is still essentially based on appraiser expertise, digitization will generate an enormous change. With the help of the data provided by the xTCU, the AI-based carValoo software detects not only severe damage, but also minor damage such as scratches and dents, which in most cases go undetected in a fast-paced environment with frequent driver changes. Fleet management receives a damage report in real time with all relevant information on the vehicle, location, time, intensity and position of the damage and can immediately initiate all necessary steps.
Alois Widmann, founder and CEO GlobalmatiX AG: "Our xTCU interface means: An interface with 1001 application possibilities, which can be configured "over-the-air" depending on the needs and fleet vehicle and automatically adapts to the car model. In the cooperation with carValoo, we are taking the next step into the German and international large fleet market, which comprises several million vehicles."
Tom Althoff, Managing Director of carValoo GmbH: "The GlobalmatiX xTCU interface convinced us in several areas: only one box for all application areas, the enormous volume in the areas of data collection and transmission, the high level of data security, and the future potential of being able to implement further innovative software solutions at any time. Because in the digitalization of fleet management, we are only at the beginning."
Following the xTCU product premiere in October 2021, GlobalmatiX AG has concluded four major contracts in D-A-CH in just four months with MSS Holding AG / Enterprise Switzerland, Mosolf SE, carValoo GmbH and Roadsurfer GmbH, which are expected to generate a medium 7-digit sales volume in 2022.
GlobalmatiX currently offers the broadest range of data collection, density and transfer security in the management of brand-independent large fleets "over-the-air".
Dr. Wolfgang Trier, CEO of Softing AG: "With the joint solution consisting of our xTCU interface and the accident damage detection of carValoo, the car reports the damage independently. Without driver interaction and in near real time. This massively improves the constantly growing market of carsharing and rental car companies. In car sharing in particular, the high incidence of minor damage without attribution to the causer is a considerable burden on the profitability of the business model. Our customer carValoo is therefore setting new standards in car sharing. In the first step, carValoo initially acquired 3,000 telematics boxes for 2022."
