In part one of this series, I looked at how the fleet industry has evolved digitally and expanded to include consumer on-demand mobility services.

An important trend accelerating in parallel to these new mobility options is the consumer demand for connected and personalized experiences in all facets of life. This year at CES, consumer vehicle software stole the show as companies brought futuristic self-driving technology to center stage. The hype around vehicle technology is moving from smart vehicles to connected consumer experiences through our phones, our homes, our streets and our vehicles. Excitingly, these consumer experiences rapidly accelerate mobility technology in all models of fleets, whether traditional corporate and car rental fleets or new vehicle groups like ride-hailing services and shared-use vehicles.

Until recently, the extent of available digital add-ons for consumer vehicles has been limited to technology similar to that used in fleets: telematics software that tracks data such as speed, location, fuel usage and more. For fleets with data analysts on staff, this information can turn into useful insights that then inform fleet operations. Action on these insights can result in significant savings when applied at scale, such as is possible in fleets of hundreds and thousands of vehicles, but for most consumers, the addition of services like Verizon Hum, Zubie and Automatic provides only nuggets of information with the value harder to realize. Rather than simply compounding the value of technology by the size of a fleet, the value of this technology to consumers compounds across the number of ways in which their vehicle can provide new, connected experiences.

Today, a connected and personalized mobility experience means much more than data or the vehicle alone. Take, for example, OEMs like Ford, GM and FCA that develop cars and trucks with generic software. Every identical make/model/year vehicle has identical digital instructions, which functions perfectly only if every driver and roadway environment is identical (hint: they’re not). Customization technology adds significant value for that “last mile” between production line and a consumer behind the wheel with software upgrades that enable the vehicle to perform its best, whether it’s employed as a daily commuter, a weekend joyride or a towing workhorse.

Another important aspect of connected mobility involves integrating technology beyond the vehicle itself, transforming vehicle transportation into a lifestyle experience. Companies like Samsung and Harmon recently announced that cars can connect to everything from other cars and external traffic networks to infotainment systems and their home. Children used to blow at red lights to magically turn them to green; now, sensors in vehicles and in traffic signals can communicate with one another to manage that shift. Home monitoring systems now have built-in integration with the vehicle’s infotainment display, just as they do with smartphones, to empower remote activation of doors, alarms and thermostats while a homeowner is behind the wheel.

With An Excited Audience, Innovation Moves Quickly

When new technology evolves from enterprise applications to consumer products, it needs to be easier to start using and deliver more personalized options. An early example of this is the transition from the first computers to personal computers. Originally a massive machine only used by the defense industry, large corporations and academic institutions, the pressure of opportunity in the consumer market forced computing technology to evolve and meet consumer needs. The computer decreased in size and allowed the end user much greater flexibility in the ways they were able to derive value from the technology.

Technology evolution traditionally moves from its first applications in business to later applications for individual consumers. The confluence of a business’s scale, available investment capital and competitive dynamics results in capital-intensive technologies made available for companies prior to consumers. Traditional telematics is no different, with cues for automakers to take notes from fleet companies to reconfigure telematics technology as solutions for a wider audience.