Uber is testing Autohawk in India, a vehicle monitoring system designed to improve cab efficiency

At a media event in New Delhi on 30 May, Uber India shared some interesting information about how the company is concentrating to provide a seamless user experience in India. Apart from improving its app experience for the consumers, drivers and partners, the company representatives spoke about how it is focused on building for India and how the challenges for a developing market are different from a market like the US.

Apart from being a cab aggregator, Uber has ventured into various projects. The company has been in the news for testing self-driving cars and even started a pilot program in Arizona, and recently announced UberEats in India which is operational in the city of Mumbai.

Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering at Uber India, spoke of a new experiment that the company is working on called ‘Autohawk.’

“Every car has a Controller Area Network (CAN) bus which connects to the security system, vehicle transmission unit, electronic instrument cluster and so on. We have gotten into the CAN bus to monitor various aspects of a car.”

Basically, the company is experimenting with sensors that can tap into the system of a car and transmit data like the mileage, odometer readings, car temperature, geo-location, fuel level and so on. Apart from giving real-time updates, this system could go a step ahead and provide details like health and status of the vehicle to Uber and fleet owners, thereby improving productivity.

For instance, Uber could inform a fleet owner where exactly his cars are located or when they require an oil change and service and so on. Tracking of distance could become more accurate as the fare would be calculated by referring to the odometer of the car rather than relying on the GPS. This will also be beneficial when it comes to safety as having control over the car’s CPU means that the engine could be immobilized remotely. “We are going to the extent we could share how many people are there in a cab by monitoring the weight inside the car or when does the car doors open and close,” added Dalal.

Considering the large number of cabs out there, Uber could get a huge chunk of data, which could in turn be beneficial for the company. It could partner with automobile makers and even service centers and repair shops. But of course, where there is a collection of data, there is the factor of privacy. The Uber representatives said that it is too early to comment, but they did mention that there will be clear terms and conditions if and when they bring this concept in the real world.

For now, it’s an interesting concept which is still at a very immature stage and could take a good amount of time to perfect.