KEEPING UP WITH TECHNOLOGY is getting harder and harder and judging by the state of the world, it seems most people under 50 can’t do anything without their computer or smartphone to tell them how.
However, when technology is genuinely helpful, it’s worth embracing.
At seniordriveraus we’re had numerous enquiries from over 50s drivers about whether a hybrid or fully electric vehicle is right for them, and whether they should make the leap into this sometimes-confusing new technology. Of course, like most automotive decisions, there are a lot of variables and each motorist is different – there’s no “one size fits all” solution.
Help is at hand through a new app called EQ Ready.
The new EQ Ready app helps motorists decide whether it makes sense for them personally to switch to an electric car or hybrid.
The smartphone app can record real journeys made by the user, analyse his or her everyday mobility behaviour and compare it with numerous parameters of electric and hybrid vehicles.
This makes it possible to try out e-mobility in a virtual yet realistic way.
The EQ Ready app also shows which alternatively powered model from Mercedes-Benz best matches the user’s individual behaviour (Mercedes-Benz vehicles because M-B has developed the app).
The new app is now available to users in Australia and New Zealand.
Mercedes-Benz customers were not the only ones involved in the development of the new app in its pilot phase: members of Daimler’s Board of Management also let their usage behaviour be examined for e-suitability.
“The general conclusion is that electric cars and hybrids in e-mode are much more suitable for everyday use than most people believe.
Following their personal reality check with our app, even sceptics discover that an electric car or hybrid would satisfy their mobility needs,” says Wilko Stark, Head of Daimler & Mercedes-Benz Cars Strategy and Head of CASE (an acronym made up of Connected [networking], Autonomous driving, flexible use [shared and services] and Electric drive systems).
The EQ Ready app can now be downloaded free of charge for iOS and Android.
You don’t have to be a Mercedes-Benz owner or driver to access the service: the smartphone records the journeys made by the user in their car of any make.
This generates a realistic usage profile that is significantly more meaningful than a once-only test drive.
All that users need to do is to login to their Mercedes me account with name and email address and enable the tracking feature in the app.
The tracking feature records not only speed and acceleration but also stops or longer breaks, as well as ambient parameters such as temperature and altitude profile.
This makes it possible to calculate the range and energy consumption.
To optimise their virtual e-driving experience, app users can manually enter potential charging stations, such as at home or at their place of work.
The personal mobility behaviour determined in this way is transmitted by Wi-Fi or mobile data to the Mercedes me server, where the relevant parameters of Mercedes-Benz electric cars and hybrids are stored.
Also, in the case of a hybrid, the evaluation of mobility behaviour focuses exclusively on all-electric mode.
Developed by Mercedes-Benz, the software model for the app uses a host of vehicle-specific data, such as energy consumption, range, cd value, weight and rolling friction coefficient.
Based on the reference vehicle selected by the user, their personal values for range and energy consumption are determined and their mobility behaviour evaluated.
Example of such an analysis: “Congratulations! All your journeys can be made electrically without additional recharging.”
Privacy is a key aspect of the app.
To stop a journey being recorded, the user can disable the tracking feature at any time.
The app also regularly reminds the user that data are being recorded.
The EQ Ready app is another CASE project and was developed in co-operation with “Digital House”.