Implication of AI and IoT-enabled electric vehicles for smart delivery services

The online delivery market in India is seeing rapid growth with technological advancement and the growing use of the Internet. Many companies operating in the segment are using AI and IoT-enabled electric scooters for smart delivery services.

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is also growing rapidly to combat pollution, and has now entered the online delivery space. These AI and IoT-enabled scooters aim to ensure efficiency and safety of the goods as well as the driver, and is also transforming the whole delivery sector.

Delivery operations in traffic and pollution

Urban logistics and delivery services are one of the main issues troubling every big and small city in the country. From grocery to food items, the delivery market has grown rapidly, along with the growth of technology and the Internet.

According to data by MDS Transmodal Limited, these delivery services represent between 8 and 18 percent of urban traffic flows. Hence, online delivery services will reduce the capacity of the roads by 30 percent in the coming years due to the increase in the number of online delivery companies and the rise in demand by the consumers.

The movement of these vehicles in rush hours, which are already congested by private transport, have a high impact on congestion and urban environmental quality. They are also responsible for about 20 percent of CO2 emissions in urban areas.

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The role of EVs

A new segment that has joined the delivery services segment is electric vehicles. The electric vehicle industry, which is growing rapidly to combat pollution, is seen as a catalyst to reduce CO2 emissions, and more intelligent mode of transportation systems.

The Government of India is also pushing for a shift towards electric vehicles. The government has claimed that India will move to 100 percent electric cars by 2030, and has the vision of making the country electrically mobile.

The Government of India has also encouraged mainstream electric mobility by dedicating Rs 10,000 crore to boost EV usage under Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME) II scheme, and a five percent reduction of GST on electric vehicles.

AI and IoT in delivery services

As the technology is growing, many industries are adopting to these changes. Many electric vehicle companies are enabling modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) in their vehicles.

From personal usage, EVs have now come to the smart delivery ecosystem. Using e-bikes, e-cargo bikes, and e-scooters is extremely positive for the enhancement of Corporate Social Responsibility, visibility, and green image among customers and clients, and cost savings because it consumes low energy, it is low maintenance, and the performance is good.

It also enables easy access to any location in urban areas, and the reliability is also very high with e-vehicles.

This is the reason delivery giants are now opting for e-scooters instead of petrol or diesel vehicles. However, some of the problems related to the use of electric vehicles is the lack of adequate infrastructure, such as charging stations; limited autonomy, especially in hilly areas; and some technical malfunctions of engines and batteries. But now, AI and IoT technologies have come up with a solution for all these problems.

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AI and IoT in electric scooters

Today, AI and IoT have transformed the entire delivery services, especially with electric vehicles (EVs). Now, electric scooters used by delivery executives are AI and IoT enabled, which helps monitor the driver’s behaviour for safe and timely delivery of goods.

Companies have also started using Telematics devices for tracking and monitoring vehicle movement. These technologies will not only monitor the movement of vehicles, but also ensure the safety of drivers in case of any road accidents. Using AI and IoT will help contact the driver and a consumer easily in case of an emergency.

These scooters can be controlled by a mobile application and GPS, which is installed in the vehicles, and an accelerometer can tell the company every single movement of a scooter during the delivery of the goods.

Apart from using AI and IoT, e-scooters, which are equipped with cellular, GPS, and accelerometer technology, use machine learning to interpret the habits of their riders and either notify dangerous habits of the drivers or alter their machines to produce safer conditions.

Artificial Intelligence has now made it possible for the driver to look at the app after delivery and see where they went, how fast they drove, if they made any dangerous moves, and also give tips for a safer delivery next time.

Attaching an accelerometer to the scooter, which is AI and IoT enabled, has also made it possible for the company to monitor the driver. Electric vehicles also come with features like navigation assist, ride statistics, remote diagnostics, voice-enabled app, anti-theft alarm and lock, speedometer call alerts, and ride behaviour-based artificial intelligence suggestions, which can be used in case of an emergency.

AI and IoT have helped electric scooters to connect to the driver’s smartphone and store all vehicle-related data on the cloud.

The next level of tech revolution can be seen in the electric vehicle sector. There is 24×7 connectivity to a cloud server, which allows a user to monitor the performance of the vehicle even when the driver is not around. Data analytic algorithms employed by the server analyses the data and notifies the user about possible service needs.

AI and IoT in battery charging technology

Modern technologies like AI and IoT have also improved the battery charging technology of electric vehicles, and reduced the time it takes to stop at a gas station. Hence, electric vehicle companies are using artificial intelligence to monitor the state of the battery as it is charging.

This improvement in the battery technology has not only made delivery services faster, but also safe for the consumers as well as delivery companies.