These services can be tailored to the needs of the EV manufacturers, and combined and delivered via a global, cooperative system.

EVs can benefit from a range of connected support services, including advising drivers on when to take their vehicle to a charging station, locating nearby stations, using mobile phones—including smart phones—to check battery condition, determining optimum routes and other applicable services.

With an Hitachi Automotive Systems- and Airbiquity-created platform forming a central hub in the smart-grid network, the partnership paves the way for creating gateway infrastructures that can be linked with smart-grid systems. This will increase the footprint of both companies in the field of global connected vehicle services, and also help automotive manufacturers worldwide quickly implement EV solutions, creating efficiencies and optimizing the costs of their service operations, the partners said.

As both social awareness of traffic and transportation efficiency and the importance of contributing to the protection of the environment rise, Hitachi Automotive Systems continues to focus on providing connected vehicle service providers with intelligent, advanced solutions. Combining these with Airbiquity’s specialized technology and extensive operational experience in the area of vehicle connectivity will make it possible for vehicle manufacturers to operate and maintain their services with more speed and efficiency than if they were operating on their own.

—Masamori Kashiyama, General Manager of the Next-Generation Telematics Center of Hitachi Automotive Systems’ CIS Division

Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company offers a wide range of automotive systems including engine management systems, electric power train systems, drive control systems and car information systems in development, manufacture, sales and services of automotive components, transportation related components, industrial machines and systems, etc.

Airbiquity provides the infrastructure that supports and enables transactions for more than 13 million vehicles on the road today, powering more than 50,000 information exchanges every day. It currently enables solutions for Ford SYNC, OnStar, Motorola, BMW, Shell FuelSave Partner and several other category-leading brands.