New SmartControl app accelerates in-fleeting and testing
Starting today, the new SmartControl in-fleeting app makes it easier to add new vehicles to an existing or new shared mobility fleet.
The app can be used to quickly install and configure telematics units in all vehicle models, from bikes and kick scooters to mopeds, scooters and cars. No special prior knowledge or technical know-how is required.
At the same time, users can test all relevant functions of the telematics unit against the operator’s backend. “Vehicles are very complex, so configuring telematics to fit the vehicle can be very challenging,” says Alexander Kirn, CEO of Invers. “Operators reported that in some cases, they had to readjust or even reconfigure the configuration of every second vehicle after in-fleeting. Through the app-supported process of configuration and testing, SmartControl ensures that each vehicle can be quickly in-fleeted and then function 100 percent in the field.”
Practical experience gained by many operators from in-fleeting has been incorporated into the development process. SmartControl offers, among other things, a scan function, intuitive user guidance, offline setups, guided function tests, and the option of configuring an unlimited number of telematics units at once. In short, it is important for operators to ensure that all relevant commands to the vehicle go through smoothly.
This applies to opening and closing the vehicle, as well as disengaging the immobilizer. Shared mobility providers must test and document these functions before deploying a vehicle in the field. In addition, many operators have defined additional data points in individual configurations that are central to their offering and processes, such as cockpit indicator lights, vehicle tracking, or tilt angle detection for mopeds and kick scooters.
These customer-specific configurations can also be tested with SmartControl so that a completely flawless command and data exchange between the vehicle and the backend is ensured and documented in the installation report before the vehicle is launched.
When in-fleeting several vehicles, users also benefit from a mass installation function. Operators of micromobility services often want to expand their fleets by several hundred vehicles in a short time frame, and they all have to in-fleet them with the same operator-specific configuration.
This can be defined in SmartControl as the basic configuration, which is then automatically transferred to all vehicles added. The operator can also perform this process in offline mode, so that employees first configure all telematics units before physically installing them in the vehicles. In addition to the app’s intuitive user interface, which guides users safely through the in-fleeting workflow even without prior knowledge, SmartControl offers a scan function.
This makes recording the master data of individual vehicles much more convenient and significantly increases data quality. The app allows the VIN and license plate to be scanned, thus speeding up the process considerably compared to manual entry and making it less error-prone.
Overall, the time required to configure new vehicles for an existing fleet can be reduced by around 70 percent.
SmartControl currently supports the configuration of CloudBoxx and CloudBoxx Mini and is available now in the Google Play Store.
