Bosch and SOCAR collaborate to bring car-sharing to Malaysia

Better living, people first. This is the goal that drives Bosch’s mission for stress-free mobility, where people and goods are able to move about freely, and cities are able to provide the highest quality of life possible.

This commitment to stress-free mobility has given rise to the collaboration between Bosch and SOCAR, a car-sharing company committed to green and accessible mobility. The two companies have set out on a mission: Build a one-of-a-kind mobility experience.

In Malaysia, an accumulative total of 33.3 million motor vehicles were registered in the Malaysian road transport department (JPJ)’s system as of December 2021, of which 11.37 million passenger cars are inactive and remain stationary for more than 20 hours in a day. This makes car-sharing a viable business opportunity for owners of vehicles, and an attractive option for users looking to drive but not own a vehicle. While car sharing offers value for owners and users, it also has its own set of challenges, such as higher incidences of interior and exterior damage, as well as high operating costs if these incidences are not addressed.

Anchored on Bosch’s 3S IoT approach (sensors, software, and services), this pilot brings focus to the company’s in-vehicle sensing (IVS) solution, particularly smoke and damage detection, to ensure comfortable and safe rides for users of shared vehicles. Monitoring the vehicle’s interior state allows vehicle owners to create a welcoming experience by keeping the interior smoke-free. The solution likewise senses unusual damages to the vehicle, which can be quickly matched to a specific rental period, enabling vehicle owners to take appropriate action.

Artificial intelligence (AI) opens up new opportunities to improve mobility services, for example to enhance user experience and the fleet’s operational efficiency. By connecting the systems and services both inside and outside, vehicles are transformed into intelligent mobility solutions.

For mobility providers like SOCAR, innovations that help reduce downtime in the fleet, whether caused by damage to vehicles during use or having to send the car for cleaning, means more cars are available to meet the mobility needs of drivers every day. In the longer term, these innovations help elevate the viability of car sharing, for a more sustainable mobility ecosystem.

“Mobility today is more than just transporting goods and people; it is an experience. By collaborating to meet the demands of Malaysia’s mobility users, Bosch and SOCAR are driven to innovate on technologies and services that work together to make stress-free mobility a reality,” commented Klaus Landhaeusser, managing director of Bosch Malaysia.

Shylendra Nathan, CEO of SOCAR Mobility Malaysia added, “As a technology- empowered company focused on optimising innovation to expand our mobility offerings, we are always on the lookout for like-minded businesses with the right technology to advance the future of flexible mobility. This pilot with Bosch not only enables us to improve operational times for our fleet, but also opens new avenues for elevating the car ownership experience.”

Meanwhile, Bosch is expanding this collaboration to the aftermarket workshops with TREVO, a people-to-people car sharing platform and SOCAR subsidiary. With nearly 5,000 aftermarket workshops across Malaysia, Bosch is promoting TREVO via the eXtra loyalty programme for workshop owners to be among the hosts in TREVO’s P2P car sharing marketplace. Additionally, participating workshops will receive benefits when their customers sign up as new TREVO users.