Automobile industry : software VS hardware
We started to observe a real engagement from the automobile industry in what one would call the “software” of the automobile, in opposition to “hardware”, the service of the car VS the car itself. Actually, Chris Bangle, Chris Bangle Associates, ex-director of Design BMW, shared a bit of this view in his talk during the ICSID 2009 Design difference congress in Singapour, in November 2009. Is there a rising understanding in the automobile industry for the need of innovation toward soft infrastructures ?
From one side you find the car sold as a product-service-system, such as the services around the chevy, the electric car from chevrolet that comes with mobile applications dematerializing a range of tools from the car directly into mobile apps (to say iphone(r)) like checking the battery level (of the car), starting the cooling system 5 minutes befores coming to your car, etc…
On the other side, there is a “need” for innovative public service models based on mobility on demand, a call for the automobile industry to team up with cities and public transport systems providers to create shared car systems in cities. For example the recent call from Paris, “autolib”.
The “velib” model for example, a shared bike system in Paris and around, has been a discussed model (from an enthousiastic point of view, Paris admired for this model abroad, The Guardian UK, in 2007, to the feedbacks of the experience in the long run, New York Times and streetblog , NYC 2009).
Between propper infrastructures in the cities and smart integration, there is a room for collapetitive or coopetitve infrastructures between public service providers, cities, private industries, AND citizens.
At Uinfoshare, here is our thought. Why not give a try on shared infrastructures with citizens, the software (service) side of their car leading to participative transportations systems with the car of the citizens themselves and services progams turning their own infrastructures into coopetitive services with other citizens, the cities, the public transport systems…
Participative services could work both on existing infrastructures, now, and inside new infrastructures to come along with public transport on demand unit systems ((like cars). Already checked Uinfopark ?
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