Dutch Fury schreef op 19 november 2018 09:40:
www.challenges.fr/automobile/actu-aut...GPS: TomTom ready to compete with Google and Waze
By Nicolas Meunier the 16.11.2018 at 20:04
Faced with the rise of smartphone navigation applications, we could imagine TomTom in bad shape. But the Dutch GPS specialist looks to the future and is already ready to compete with the GAFA, offering high-performance solutions to car manufacturers.
It is a fact: even drivers of cars equipped with an embedded GPS use for most smartphone applications, considered more effective. In addition, the mobile GPS market is no longer on the rise . What weaken TomTom, a historic player in the sector, which saw its stock market falter following two announcements. On the one hand that of Renault, who said in September to turn to Google, then that of Volvo a month later, who chose to stop his contract with TomTom.
Behind these disaffections lies a double-edged problem for car manufacturers . They want to offer a service at the height of their competitors on smartphone. But on the other hand, they do not want to give free access to vehicle data to giants like Google or Apple . A tough choice that led them to a difficult delay to catch up. There are many new vehicles with outdated navigation, wrong speed limits (read our article why your car is not ready for the 80 km / h). Nothing more horrifying for the driver to see his car ignore a roundabout just out of the ground, while he just spent more than a thousand euros in the navigation option. While beside, a free application like Waze is able to trace in real time the slightest change of course thanks to a community provided.
Cars not connected enough
According to Harold Goddijn, CEO of TomTom, the problem comes from the very construction of embedded automotive systems. "Manufacturers are only realizing that they have to offer systems that can update themselves in real time, and today it's the key to delivering the same quality of service as smartphone apps." . And to quote the example of Tesla which, because of its totally different approach and its culture coming from Silicon Valley, knew to take a certain advance.
If the GPS manufacturers do not give satisfaction, so they are not enough connected so far. Because TomTom is sure of the quality of the service it offers. "In terms of route calculation, we are consistently faster than Waze to go from point A to point B. Several tests prove it," says Harold Goddijn. "We are ready to provide our customers with excellent service, without having to open the door to Google."
ccording to its CEO, TomTom has been able to anticipate market reversals. Certainly, nomadic GPS sales are falling. But the Dutch company is today able to provide all types of services related to cartography . Its main customers are the manufacturers, starting with the car manufacturers who integrate TomTom services, be it simple cartography or connected services such as traffic info. And on this level, if the announcements of Renault and Volvo can pass for hard knocks, partnerships recently with PSA and BMW appear as consolation lots more than worthwhile. So much so that TomTom has revised up its turnover forecast for 2018 to 850 million euros, 25 million more than originally planned.
The autonomous car in the line of sight
TomTom looks with confidence at the future of integrated navigation, simply subject to the awareness of manufacturers. An imminent awareness according to Harold Goddijn. But society is looking even further, with the arrival of the autonomous car . Nobody is today able to accurately predict the precise marketing of models that can totally do without a driver. But the level 3 automation, with speed regulators able to prepare for their arrival on a highway exit, should see the light of day around 2021. And these will have to rely on cartography.
TomTom already has high definition mapsable to serve as a support for driving assistance. Compressed, they can arrive on board the car in real time with a simple 4G or 3G connection. The only limiting factor concerns the feedback of sensors, be they images or distance readings. The comparison between these (much heavier) data and the mapping is necessary for the accuracy of the assistance. If it has to be on an external server, you need a stronger connection. Failing that, it will have to be done on board, which requires a calculation power necessarily expensive. In all cases, TomTom is ready to provide the services, especially with clouds already in place. What to take on the next car revolutions. The nomadic GPS maker has changed a lot.