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When did you last go out without your mobile phone? It's rare, isn't it? Even if you've got it on you and there's no signal, or you've no battery left, the feeling of dread that creeps over you is hard to ignore, even if you're only incommunicado briefly.
Hence why car manufacturers are putting such an emphasis on in-car connectivity, with a constant stream of new features designed to keep you in contact while you're on the move.
But how can they help? Does staying online while you're on the move reduce costs and improve safety, or is it a distraction? Is the technology a gimmick to make a car seem more appealing, but doesn't add anything of worth in the real world?
Advanced tech is making its way into new cars all the time and with each renewal cycle more in-car connectivity kit, such as advanced sat-nav systems, apps that allow drivers to control aspects of the car from their smartphones, and diary synchronisation are becoming increasingly common. Linking the car to the driver's smartphone is vital, with systems like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which enable drivers to use their mobile phones legally while on the move, becoming more prevalent. But what benefits do systems such as these offer fleet managers and, indeed, fleet drivers?
Well, research conducted by the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) suggests that tech such as this can save fleet owners £330 per vehicle, per year in terms of improved fuel economy, lower insurance premiums, and drivers spending less time stationary. Thanks to in-car connectivity, sat-nav systems can now react to traffic jams in real time, and even changes to your work calendar.
An example of this sort of functionality can be found on new Volkswagens. These systems can automatically direct you to where your next meeting is and, if that event is cancelled while you're en route, it will automatically re-direct you back to the office using the fastest route.
It's called the Discover Navigation Pro system and is optional on mid-spec-and-above new Volkswagens, including the latest Passat, the Golf and the new Tiguan. It can cost anywhere between £800 and £1,500, depending on the model.
Being stuck in traffic or lost is the least efficient way to spend time in a vehicle. Indeed, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimates that traffic jams cost the economy £8bn a year, so while cars are getting more fuel efficient, much of these savings are lost in cars sitting idly on the road. Therefore, being able to navigate around traffic jams could save fleet managers a lot of money.
Meanwhile, driving around looking for a car parking space wastes, on average 20 minutes in London, more than 10 minutes in Manchester, Bristol and Wolverhampton, and nearly seven minutes across the rest of the UK.
Connected cars can seek out empty parking spaces, thereby saving this time, as well as the fuel used while searching. Volkswagen's Guide and Inform system - part of the aforementioned Discover Navigation Pro system - offers advice on where drivers will be able to find parking spaces near their destination.
Plenty of manufacturers - including Vauxhall with its OnStar service - offer wi-fi hotspots in their cars. Now, while the driver may not be able to reap the benefits of this sort of connectivity, any passengers they might have will, allowing those in the car to carry on working, even though they're travelling, thereby improving productivity.
Installing dashcams can also save money in insurance premiums. Various insurance companies - including the broker Constructaquote.com - are offering discounts of between 10 and 15% to fleets who fit dashcams to their cars. This is because they provide impartial evidence as to who was at fault for a collision, reducing fake claims.
Dashcams are also beginning to appear on manufacturers' equipment lists. So far, only Citroen, with its ConnectedCam offers one. Available on the new C3, it's standard on top-spec Flair models and is a £380 option on mid-spec Feel models. No other car offers such technology as yet, and there's no reason to think that more Citroen models and more manufacturers won't start offering such technology in the near future.
A study conducted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) predicts that connected car technology could save as many as 2,500 lives on British roads by 2030, as well as preventing around 25,000 serious accidents over the same time scale. As well as saving lives, preventing accidents is likely to save the UK economy up to £34bn.
Vauxhall is making strides in using in-car connectivity to improve safety with its OnStar offering. This service not only gives the driver access to a 24-hour call centre, but can be of use in an emergency. By pressing the SOS button in a car equipped with this system, you get priority access to an advisor who can call the necessary emergency services for you.
Meanwhile, the system will automatically alert the call centre if the airbags are set off, the reason being that under these circumstances, the driver or passenger may not be capable of making the call themselves. A similar system to this - e-Call, which can call the emergency services for you in the event of a crash - is likely to be mandatory fitment on all new cars sold in Europe by 2018.
These systems will also help keep the company covered when it comes to corporate manslaughter and public liability by ensuring that the driver and any third party involved in the incident gets the help they need more quickly than they otherwise would.
Keeping cars on the road is vital to any fleet manager. If the car is in the garage for maintenance or repair work, then it's not out there doing its job and so it's no longer making money. It is, therefore, beneficial to fleet managers everywhere to reduce the amount of time vehicles spend off the road undergoing maintenance or being repaired.
Modern cars can notify the driver and/or fleet manager when it needs servicing and let the garage know exactly how much work is required for maintenance. This means maintenance can be booked at the correct time and the car will spend less time in the garage, while booking systems are also being made more efficient.
Recently, Alphabet - BMW UK's leasing arm - developed a new system to help streamline company car maintenance and servicing. Instead of back-and-forth emails and phone calls between the driver, leasing company and the servicing garage, Alphabet can view live workshop availability and have a slot booked within three to four minutes, as opposed to the three or four hours it could take previously.
It's also capable of putting the car into a pre-defined 90-minute slot, so instead of having the car off the road all day, it's available for use again in just an hour and a half - significantly decreasing that car and driver's downtime.
Over-the-air (OTA) software updates - much like those your computer, mobile phone or tablet performs - will keep the car's on-board brain running the latest version of its software, and thus performing at its best and most efficient. In order to achieve this, a notification is sent to the driver to ensure they are not using the car during a certain period of time, usually overnight. The garage then connects with the car wirelessly and uploads the revised software.
Furthermore, it will significantly reduce vehicle downtime in the event of a major vehicle recall. Instead of the car having to go into the dealership, be wired up to a computer and have the software update individually, dealerships will be able to remotely update between 10 and 50 cars at a time, saving a huge amount of time for the driver, fleet manager and the dealership. Each update takes around 15 minutes, instead of the 30 minutes it currently takes.
There's no doubt about the benefits that connected cars can bring - they reduce costs, improve productivity and make driving safer, but what are the drawbacks? Are there situations when these systems are more of a hindrance than a help?
Probably the biggest issue is that of distraction. These days you can specify cars with things like video playback and even DVD and access to YouTube. While it's true that manufacturers always put in safety measures to reduce how much these features distract the driver, it'll never go away completely.
Many of these systems come with social media connectivity included and, while most cars won't let you access it while moving, it's another possibility for distraction - one of the biggest causes of accidents on UK roads today - even if it's just a pop-up notification.
Unfortunately, it's rare that these features can be easily turned off, so it is down to the fleet manager to ensure drivers are educated properly in the dangers of being distracted on the move.
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