Photo: Scania
Scania trucks are ready for a massively overhauled infotainment system, as the parent company has joined forces with HERE Technologies for a partnership that’ll completely upgrade the experience behind the wheel.
More specifically, HERE will provide Scania with connected navigation software that will be installed on fleets offered globally, including in China, Japan, and South Korea.
Because it relies on the HERE SDK mapping software, the infotainment upgrade can provide drivers with relevant information that’s specifically optimized for their vehicles.
In fact, this is what’s making using a navigation solution in a truck so challenging. Google, for example, isn’t offering a truck mode in Google Maps, so the navigation app can end up sending drivers on roads where the vehicles don’t actually fit.
This won’t be the case in trucks powered by HERE’s software. All the provided information takes into account the dimensions of the vehicles, so drivers are getting accurate road information, points of interest, and speed limit data for each truck type.
HERE says the partnership is already prepared for the electrification of Scania trucks, as its software can also provide additional capabilities, including dedicated EV routing and other features that make sense in a zero-emission vehicle.
And last but not least, HERE and Scania say they’ll work together on a new mobile companion application whose purpose is to provide drivers with access to certain capabilities even when they’re not in the vehicle. The app will be powered by the HERE SDK, though at this point, it’s not known when it’s supposed to launch.
At the end of the day, the partnership shows not only that HERE is one of the biggest names in this side of the software and navigation solution market but also that services aimed at trucks are a niche that just keeps growing.
And of course, it also shows that Google itself is missing a huge opportunity here. The lack of a truck mode in Google Maps means some drivers need to switch to alternative products, and right now, Google really doesn’t seem to be very interested in shipping such an update for its app.
Because it relies on the HERE SDK mapping software, the infotainment upgrade can provide drivers with relevant information that’s specifically optimized for their vehicles.
In fact, this is what’s making using a navigation solution in a truck so challenging. Google, for example, isn’t offering a truck mode in Google Maps, so the navigation app can end up sending drivers on roads where the vehicles don’t actually fit.
This won’t be the case in trucks powered by HERE’s software. All the provided information takes into account the dimensions of the vehicles, so drivers are getting accurate road information, points of interest, and speed limit data for each truck type.
HERE says the partnership is already prepared for the electrification of Scania trucks, as its software can also provide additional capabilities, including dedicated EV routing and other features that make sense in a zero-emission vehicle.
And last but not least, HERE and Scania say they’ll work together on a new mobile companion application whose purpose is to provide drivers with access to certain capabilities even when they’re not in the vehicle. The app will be powered by the HERE SDK, though at this point, it’s not known when it’s supposed to launch.
At the end of the day, the partnership shows not only that HERE is one of the biggest names in this side of the software and navigation solution market but also that services aimed at trucks are a niche that just keeps growing.
And of course, it also shows that Google itself is missing a huge opportunity here. The lack of a truck mode in Google Maps means some drivers need to switch to alternative products, and right now, Google really doesn’t seem to be very interested in shipping such an update for its app.
Google News