Q: What is the role of Sibros in the connected vehicle ecosystem?
Everybody is talking about the software-defined vehicle these days. A revolution is underway in the manner in which the entire automotive sector operates and monetizes and also in the way the drivers choose and use vehicles.
We are powering the rapidly developing connected vehicle ecosystem with a full platform for the pillars it rests on: data logging and updates as well as remote commands and diagnostics. This encompasses every vehicle and propulsion out there, from a tractor-trailer to a sailboat. The connected vehicle will only be as good as its data in transit and at rest, and Sibros delivers building blocks for the path towards the transportation of the future.
Our products are not only agnostic of the in-vehicle hardware, but also of the powertrain. We are working with OEMs of all kinds, be it an electric or combustion engine passenger car, a high-mileage tractor-trailer with a hydrogen fuel cell, a heavy construction vehicle powered by a hydrogen ICE, or a boat with any given propulsion. All these will soon be connected vehicles with numerous electronic units in them.
Q: In the era of the software-defined vehicle, how do you help OEMs simplify the complex technology and architecture?
Let us have a look at the big picture first: OEMs are organizations that for more than 100 years have produced and sold hardware. Now, within a decade, they have to switch to a software mindset, including new development cycles, life cycle monetization, and selling services and experiences.
This is a profound change and task and we support it in more than one way. First, Sibros delivers a product that provides 95% functionality out of the box, with only 5% integration effort necessary. It can be deployed in <4 weeks on any vehicle. It is the only solution in the market that works with the existing vehicle hardware.
Second, our solution is hardware agnostic, with embedded firmware validated to run on all major telematics control units and gateway platforms and combinations. Data from vehicles can be logged with complex conditions, and based on triggers and events, subsequently uploaded to the cloud, displayed and analysed.
To update and control a fleet of any scale, an OEM will simply define what we call a Device Model, which specifies the topology of the vehicle architectures involved. This is a process done once and it enables full control of these vehicles and provides exact insights into the update status of every individual vehicle and control unit including full traceability of the updates.
This is something the customers will have at their fingertips, but may never need, because their fleet is entirely, granularly managed.
Third, our customers receive all the tools they need as a one-stop-shop, including a Web Portal and full API access.
Q: What changes do you think that the OEMs should make in their engineering departments to adopt this technology?
The engineering departments to a certain extent will have to get used to the fact that their organization is not a core hardware shop anymore. This means that the development cycles and other work habits are changing, and it is a profound shift that does not come easily.
The engineering departments will have a whole different data foundation to develop future features. Simulation, for example, with all its problems and pitfalls, can be replaced by billions of data points from real-world use. This enables accomplishments like the reductive design of features that may have been unused, misused, or abused before. It may enable the redefinition of battery size for a certain market and more importantly it will boost ADAS and related functions.
Q: How is the adoption of this new technology by the OEMs?
OEMs are in arguably the most difficult transition of the 120 years of automobile mass production – a genuine revolution. There is a clear awareness that this is a bus that nobody can afford to miss, but there is great insecurity about how to navigate many aspects. What we see is that startups that have software in their DNA move more swiftly.
However, the big industry players are making extraordinary efforts to get into the game. But software is a field they are not quite familiar with. One of our tasks is to help OEMs navigate this, as well as to build long-term, in-depth partnerships.
There will be an entirely new ecosystem of OEMs and software companies working together to deliver the transportation modes of the future and this ecosystem is coming into existence within this decade.
Q: Which vehicle segment will adopt this technology faster?
We see the electric vehicle manufacturers moving faster in this space. To make this clear, our solution is propulsion agnostic and will function on a sailboat just as well as in a heavy construction machine with a hydrogen fuel cell, but startups with new propulsion principles do have software and the connected vehicle baked into their DNA. However, it is not a question of vehicle segment, propulsion, or usage, it is a question of openness to and awareness about change.
From the end-user’s perspective, the acceptance of connected vehicle services will grow exponentially, with increased demand for infotainment and navigation features leading the acceleration. Drivers and end-users will begin to see these products and services in action, which will spark interest and in turn stoke up production.
Q: What are the benefits of this technology for OEMs and their customers?
With its Deep Connected Platform, Sibros provides massive and essential value for the software-defined vehicle by paving the path to real-time, real-world data, thereby creating a digital twin of the vehicle.
In high-level terms, the benefits come in all the classical categories – reduced cost, value-added options, increased margins for the OEM, and new services and options for the drivers. The range of benefits is from usage-based insurance to true predictive maintenance to faster prototyping to vehicle customization and personalization functions. We will see safer roads through better ADAS and related features and new services and mobility modes, for example by sharing. Paid feature upgrades will be an option that both the OEMs and drivers will be aware of.
Q: The OEM legacy system vs. new connected vehicle technology from Sibros, what are the key added advantages?
As a company, we provide a product that is highly modular and flexible, comprehensive, integrated, and apt for any vehicle architecture. The Deep Connected Platform is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for fast integration that does not only reduce program risk, but allows every customer to profit from the experiences and improvements that are derived from the work with all customers.
Furthermore, there are no surprise elements of cost. All our customers know upfront exactly what they are getting and what they are paying for it. The risks of software development, of which there are plenty and which OEMs are not accustomed to deal with, have been borne by the Sibros’ highly experienced team.
Q: In terms of ROI, what timeline should OEMs look at after adopting this technology?
This depends on how an OEM monetizes the options that our solution opens up for it. In one of our classic examples, we calculate that by using our Deep Logger, instead of an in-house developed solution, an OEM can be cash flow positive five years earlier. And this is only the cash flow, assuming standard timelines. The adoption of a ready-to-be-deployed solution like ours considerably reduces, as said, risks for the OEM as well. OEMs simply outsource all this to us, reap the early cash flow and profit, and take advantage of an ever-developing product.
Q: How fleets and commercial operators can benefit from a deeply connected platform?
To give an example, Sibros enables a unique Truck-as-a-Service business model for a European manufacturer with an ambitious goal of zero downtime for production vehicles. Data Logging will, for the first time, enable true predictive maintenance which can be a major cost saver.
Advanced driving assistance functions will support drivers and reduce accidents. There will be options for usage-based insurance, advanced theft protection, remote diagnostic commands, and more.
Q: What is the future roadmap for Sibros business in India?
Sibros was founded in 2018 by cousins Hemant and Mayank Sikaria in the belief that automotive Over-the-air (OTA) programming will redefine the future of transportation.
With headquarters in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, and a main office in Pune, a hub of the Indian automotive industry, the rapidly growing startup has a headcount of 100-plus and additional offices in Detroit, Atlanta, and Munich. The company recently concluded series B funding of USD 70 million. From the beginning, the company has prided itself on hiring the best talent from around the world to develop viable, reliable, and practical connected vehicle products.
Sibros’ leadership brings in decades of combined experience from companies like Tesla, Waymo, Faraday Future, and Uber. Sibros’ target is to further the software defined vehicle and enable transportation 2.0 and in the future 3.0
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