Disruption coming to our cities, roads and skies

In a Connected World, life revolves around getting to our destinations as quickly, safely and comfortably as possible. That’s the daily challenge facing organizations in the automotive and aviation sectors, as well as government agencies that build, operate and patrol our transportation infrastructure.

In this fourth article from the Moving Forward research series, Panasonic Corporation of North America assesses how senior technology decision makers in these industries view our Connected World, the technologies they see driving us forward, and the impact these technologies will have on their future plans.

By 2025, 10 disruptive technologies are expected to generate trillions of dollars of economic impact. Our new study reveals that Connected World industries – aviation, automotive, and government agencies involved in transportation infrastructure – have already adopted five of these technologies on average. And four have risen to the top of their innovation agendas – energy storage, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and sustainable energy. Panasonic is deeply engaged in all of them.

As one automaker remarked, the coming transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles (EV) will be “the biggest revolution in transportation this millennium.” And clearly, when it comes to widespread use of energy storage, the automotive sector is a pioneering leader. Overall, among Connected World industries, some 37% have adopted energy storage technologies. Another 48% are planning to invest in or adopt it soon.

Panasonic is seeing soaring demand for this technology in our own business. As a market leader in lithium ion batteries, we’ve invested heavily with global automotive partners to propel the growth of this disruptive technology.

Connected vehicles with advanced driver-assistance systems are already entering our roadways. Built with equipment such as top view camera systems that provide a 360-degree bird’s eye view – plus sensors that detect airbag deployment, windshield wiper operation, engagement of brakes, etc. – these vehicles can transmit data about their status to other connected vehicles on the roadways and emerging intelligent roadway infrastructure.

Technology decision makers in Connected World industries (automotive, aviation, government transportation agencies) expect connected vehicles to deliver a whole host of important benefits: fewer collisions, reduced congestion, less pollution, and more connected and informed driving (and riding) experiences.

Autonomous vehicle technology builds on this connected vehicle foundation. Many tech decision makers in our Connected World industries think riding in an autonomous vehicle will be exciting, while a few admit it might terrify them. Still, two in three tech decision makers expressed an intent to adopt autonomous vehicle technology. This represents a 54% increase over current adoption of autonomous vehicle technologies.

After the cloud and mobile devices/apps/commerce, artificial intelligence is seen as the disruptive technology most critical to the future success of organizations. In fact, nine of 10 decision makers see AI as a way to personalize how they engage with their customers and predict future needs. The number one obstacle? Finding a strategic partner to develop a roadmap for integrating it.

In Colorado, Panasonic is creating a pioneering intelligent roadway system, designed to ingest two billion data points from connected vehicles each hour. Applying machine learning and predictive analytics to this massive data set, the system will enable the Colorado DOT to send personalized alerts and optimal routing suggestions to each connected vehicle on the road.

Two-thirds of Connected World organizations have either adopted sustainable energy or plan to do so in the near future. Only one in six has no plans to invest. Many decision makers view adopting sustainable energy, such as solar and EV, as a no-brainer: “It saves us money and is good for the earth.”

In addition to the 10 disruptive technologies that were the primary focus of this survey, Panasonic also identified three emerging technologies that appear to hold great promise in Connected World industries:

• Biometric: four in five organizations say they’re likely to adopt these technologies in the next three to five years, with features such as authentication enabling them to enhance security and create more personalized experiences
• Next-generation communications: almost half believe that technologies like 5G and high-speed satellite will transform their industries by 2022
• Advanced displays: seven in 10 plan to invest in technologies like mobile screen sharing, augmented/virtual reality and head-up displays

We’ll be exploring these emerging technologies in future trend articles.

Finally, we found that five in six Connected World organizations agree that embracing disruptive technologies is essential to remaining competitive today.

Many of these organizations realize they need a strategic partner to get the most out of disruptive technologies. With experience incorporating them all into integrated business solutions, Panasonic may be the ideal partner in helping you embed these technologies in ways that can move your organization forward.

This research was commissioned by Panasonic Corporation of North America and fielded in the U.S. and Canada. The survey included 100 CTOs and other senior technology decision makers in organizations with at least 200 employees. It was completed July 2018.