Car sharing is here to stay. If you need a car, just order one on the app and run away to collect it. As long as it doesn't rain - and the car isn't too far away!
Wouldn't it be nice if the car drove itself from the nearest parking space?
Elmo Rent , a car-sharing company in Estonia, has developed a solution that can do just that. Elmo Remote is based on an operator at the car-sharing center remotely controlling the customer's car via an advanced game console that resembles a driving simulator. The solution uses the mobile network to communicate with the car.
Certifications
The Estonian company is the first in the world not only to launch a system for remote control of cars, but also to have it approved for public roads. So far, they have approved the system for the Nissan Leaf's first model and 3 operators are certified to drive remote-controlled cars on the road. The car sharing company states that 6 new operators will be certified in the near future.
Safety
Have you seen the TV commercials where it is suggested that the 5G network can be used for remote surgery? Fortunately, remote control of cars is not as demanding. Since the solution is completely dependent on the mobile network, detailed coverage maps are used, where the cars are prevented from ending up in places with poor or no coverage. On the console, the operator can read all information from the instruments, as well as monitor an indicator that shows the car's real deceleration. It is not so easy to dose the brakes when you cannot feel how they are acting.
Can be introduced in several large cities
Elmo Remote was recently unveiled at the Autonomy Mobility World Expo in Paris (March 22-23, 2023). There is speculation that this could be a solution for car-sharing services in Paris and other major European cities. Having your car delivered or driven back to a parking space when needed would undoubtedly make car-sharing more convenient. In a broader perspective, car-sharing could prevent cities from being blocked by parked cars and could help increase the share of zero-emission vehicles.
In Norway?
In the Oslo area, car sharing has gained a strong foothold. Right now it is Easter. Hyre, Getaround, Hertz car sharing and Bilkollektivet have rented out all (!) of their passenger cars in Oslo – a total of over 500 cars. Norwegian road authorities will hardly be the first outside of Estonia to approve remote control of cars, but if Elmo Remote gets its solution approved by an international certification body, it could pave the way for them to be approved here at home too. Norwegian car sharing companies are no strangers to remote-controlled cars. A couple of years ago, I participated in a survey where one of the questions was about how much it would cost to have the car delivered to your home. At the time, I could not decide on this question without knowing how the delivery would take place. Should self-driving cars be sent into residential areas? Should the cars be delivered by fast drivers with foldable scooters in the trunk?
It is important to clarify that remote-controlled cars are far safer than self-driving cars, although self-driving functions can help make remote control safer.
A concept for several types of services?
In the UK, a couple of decades ago chauffeur services appeared that could drive people home from the pub in their own cars. If you had drunk too many glasses to drive yourself, you could call someone central who sent someone on a scooter to drive you home. The scooter was packed in the trunk during the trip.
Imagine if the concept of remote-controlled cars became standard in new cars. Then the workshop can pick up and deliver the car for service, or you can get an operator to drive the car home from a party.
Or the bailiff can pick up the car if the owner is behind on the installments?
See
