It is no small task to maintain vehicles and equipment. Traditional maintenance routines require checkups and replacing parts at fixed intervals, leading to unpredictability, downtime, and higher costs. In a refreshing turn of events, automotive predictive maintenance is transforming the automotive industry with quite the opposite outcomes - improving reliability, reducing downtime, and cutting costs. But what is predictive maintenance, and how does it work?
This guide reviews automotive predictive maintenance, explains how it works, and discusses its benefits.
What is automotive predictive maintenance?
Automotive predictive maintenance is an advanced technology practice that uses data and tools to monitor vehicles and determine the optimal times for maintenance. It draws from statistical process control (SPC) principles that enable monitoring manufacturing processes, measures performance, and controls quality. It leverages machine learning (ML) algorithms to analyze data, identify patterns and relationships, and predict when a piece of equipment might fail. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to anticipate maintenance needs, prevent breakdowns, and extend the vehicle’s lifespan.
In the automotive industry, data can come from maintenance logs, telematics systems, sensors, and many other Internet of Things (IoT) devices that measure assets and conditions. These technologies track performance, assess maintenance needs, and determine when it is least disruptive to service equipment. The capabilities lead to less downtime and lower repair costs. For example, sensors can measure and analyze driving patterns, road conditions, and fuel consumption to determine when it is optimal to have an oil change or tire rotation.
Ultimately, automotive predictive maintenance allows for problems to be prevented entirely or addressed before they lead to a failure that is costly and difficult to repair.
How Automotive Predictive Maintenance Works
Automotive predictive maintenance is an ongoing process that leverages ML, IoT, and AI to ensure vehicles are always road-ready. It relies upon a network of connected sensors and IoT devices to collect real-time performance metrics, temperature readings, and other data. The collected data is then integrated and analyzed to identify patterns and recognize any anomalies indicating issues. The current insights are combined with historical data to create predictive models that can anticipate the timing of future maintenance needs. When the model identifies a potential problem or need, it generates an alert that is sent to designated devices and users according to predefined settings. Vehicle owners can respond to the alarms and use the predictive data insights to schedule maintenance activities more efficiently.
Benefits of Automotive Predictive Maintenance
Automotive predictive maintenance offers many benefits, including these five for vehicle owners:
- Improve Reliability - Through automotive predictive maintenance, owners can always know their vehicles' status. This visibility and consistency gives peace of mind and allows them to address potential issues before they become problems.
- Improve Efficiency - With a predictive maintenance approach, drivers can ensure all parts of their vehicles are running optimally, and the vehicle is performing as efficiently as possible.
- Extend the Vehicle’s Lifespan - Unaddressed issues can worsen and stress other parts in a vehicle over time. This can rapidly turn preventable issues into monumental fixes. By taking a preventative approach, vehicle owners can keep their vehicles in top shape and extend their lifetime overall.
- Reduce Downtime - Few things are worse than a surprise issue on the road. With predictive maintenance, drivers can stay on top of repair and maintenance needs and eliminate downtime due to preventable equipment failure.
- Lower Costs - When issues are ignored or unnoticed, they can quickly escalate. Predictive technology allows owners to address issues while they are small and manageable, saving costs for labor and equipment.
It may be interesting to note that the benefits of automotive predictive maintenance start long before the vehicle is purchased. Automotive predictive maintenance is also crucial for vehicle manufacturers who rely on the technology to optimize operations, maximize productivity, and reduce downtime on the factory floor.
Learn More
As the automotive landscape evolves rapidly towards connected, electric, and autonomous vehicles, Encora’s meticulously tailored digital engineering services are reshaping the next generation of automobiles. From crafting captivating infotainment systems that seamlessly integrate entertainment and functionality to spearheading Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that redefine safety and convenience, our solutions set new benchmarks for automotive excellence.
Fast-growing tech companies partner with Encora to outsource product development and drive growth. We are deeply expert in the various disciplines, tools, and technologies that power the emerging economy, and this is one of the primary reasons that clients choose Encora over the many strategic alternatives that they have.
To learn more about predictive maintenance and other digital engineering innovations for the automotive industry, contact Encora today.
