Picture credit: Mojio

As car manufacturers invest large sums of cash in technology that will connect drivers of new models to the internet, Canadian company Mojio has set out to fill the used car void.

Boasting an open platform, Mojio says its hardware will connect any car to the internet of things through premium mobile phone networks. The company has signed agreements with AT&T in the US and TELUS in Canada.

The open platform that Mojio offers already has a number of apps in its store, with support from Goodcoins, Cary Motors, Devlin Digital, Dooing and IPG Media Lab allowing drivers to customise the relationship they have with their car.

Mojio has stated that it will continue to work with more developers on the open system, however third-party software currently under development includes parking payments, automated trip expensing, simplified car rental and home automation.

App inspiration

In a report titled Innovation Insight: The Connected Vehicle Will Dominate Automotive and Mobility Innovations, Thilo Koslowski, vice president and automotive practice leader at Gartner discussed other potential app ideas.

“As the Internet of Things and smart devices grow within the home and more broadly across cities, things such as traffic signals turning green rather than keeping a sole driver idling at a light, or finding, reserving and directing a driver to available parking right when it is needed will become everyday reality,” he said.

“Removing the number of cars driving on city streets looking for parking alone would reduce emissions, traffic, fuel spending and, ultimately, driver stress. Only with real time data exchange between the car and its environment is this possible.”

18-year support

Apps form only a single part of Mojio’s platform, there are also a number of features that will make the connected car available to any car manufactured after 1996 no matter what make or model it is.

Vehicle diagnostics let drivers read the codes coming from their car, so that the driver can view its status at any time while automated trip tracking monitors distance travelled, fuel efficiency and cost per trip to help save time and money.

Founded in late 2012, Vancouver-headquartered Mojio has survived on the single $2.3 million round of funding it received in 2013 from Relay Ventures, 500 Startups and BDC Venture Capital.