Alexa, start the car: IoT in the automotive industry

How APIs fuel the connected car and why security is essential to IoT development

From the outside, today’s cars look similar to their counterparts from 10 or even 20 years ago. But on the inside, they have been transformed by technology. Cars have retained their core functionality, but integrated connectivity, sensors, and systems have led to improvements in their efficiency, safety, and operation. Twenty years ago, cars had just one processor in them. Now, they are built with more than forty processors and over 100 million lines of code, five times the amount of code as in a Boeing 747 aircraft.

Leading automotive companies like General Motors (GM) are reinventing themselves with technology. Car manufacturers are developing increasingly sophisticated systems built on components like sensors, application programming interfaces (APIs), and microservices. Connected components are controllable through in-car systems and mobile apps that translate these technologies to user interfaces.

APIs are opening up a world of opportunities for car manufacturers to create new, connected experiences for their customers. What do these experiences look like? We’ve created a demo to show you the connected car in action, and how technology works behind the scenes to make automotive IoT possible.

Check out this demo – A connected Car Experience with Alexa

Eventually, even more capabilities and services will be available in the connected car, both from the manufacturer and from partner integrations through APIs. Actions like purchases, appointment scheduling for car maintenance, and entertainment will all be possible directly in car systems or corresponding mobile apps. The long-term goal is to automate as much of driving and car maintenance as possible. But this connectivity introduces security risks (think: remotely hacking and controlling a vehicle).

For more information on the connected car opportunity, the role of APIs, and the importance of security, I invite you to read this eBook: APIs Fueling the Connected Car Opportunity.