Zoomcar launches software-based platform tech

Zoomcar, one of the leading personal mobility company has launched Zoomcar Mobility Services (ZMS), a diverse array of software-based platform services. The company says the service will be available across vehicle categories ranging from two-, three, four-wheelers, trucks, and buses.  ZMS will work across both internal combustion and electric vehicles and is fully hardware agnostic.

With the launch of ZMS, Zoomcar says it will now provide access to its state-of-the-art, proprietary tech stack which focuses on reducing operating costs, enhancing safety, increasing vehicle monetisation, and improving customer engagement. ZMS comprises of two primary software offerings: IoT (Internet of Things) as a service combined with subscription as a service. The platform is geography agnostic and Zoomcar says it will help drive its international footprint while serving customers across 3 continents within the next year. 

The launch of Zoomcar Mobility Services marks an extension of its original Cadabra IoT platform launched in 2017.  According to the company one of the key pillars of ZMS is the proprietary driver scoring mechanism, an AI-powered algorithm with machine learning capabilities that tracks the real-time driving behaviour of the customer along with the present health of the vehicle.  The driver score in turn provides dynamic recommendations in real-time to help improve driving quality.  The integrated software solution rates the driver on a scale of 0-100 and provides a customisable UI to help showcase the driver performance level over time.

The scoring system provides real-time feedback to drivers in the event of rash driving to help them adjust their behaviour accordingly. This the company says improves driver behaviour and reduce accidents, while also lowering maintenance and fuel bills.  At an aggregate level, ZMS consistently observes monthly operating cost savings of 25-30 percent on account of the driver scoring system and associated behavioural modification mechanisms.  Zoomcar’s recent agreement with ETO Motors highlights one such partnership within ZMS’ IoT as a service vertical.  It expects to onboard over 50 partners within the next year across the two-wheeler, three-wheeler and heavy commercial vehicle (cargo and passenger) segments.

Apart from IoT as a service, the other primary software vertical of ZMS is subscription as a service.  This offering builds on the company’s own direct to consumer subscription business and allows OEMs and dealers to leverage Zoomcar APIs to directly sell vehicles on subscription to customers. As part of the offering, it will provide an end-to-end white-label experience for its OEM partners and includes a 360-degree mobile experience for the vehicle subscriber. In addition, ZMS integrates its existing IoT as a service capability on the white-labelled mobile app to create a bundled offering to the OEM and the end-subscriber.  As part of its India-based offering, the mobility platform will also allow the OEM’s customers to ‘share back’ the vehicle on its short-term rental platform to help reduce the monthly subscription obligation, thereby dramatically reducing the cost of personal vehicle access in India.  The company expects to onboard partners in over 10 countries by next year and expects ZMS to contribute a meaningful percentage in the company’s total revenue in the coming fiscal year.

Commenting on the latest development, Greg Moran, CEO and co-founder, Zoomcar said, ‘’The mobility industry is going through a transformational phase globally due to the pandemic. At Zoomcar, we believe this is the ideal time to realise the second phase of our broader mobility vision that focuses on bringing disproportionate efficiency gains across the ecosystem through the adoption of innovative, product-driven software solutions. With ZMS, Zoomcar introduces a one-stop-shop mobility offering for OEMs and operators alike to help dramatically reduce operating cost while meaningfully increasing monetisation opportunities at both the vehicle and customer levels.”