BMW Launches CarData Service Using a SIM Card

author: Eric Walz   

The BMW Group has launched a new service called BMW CarData, which enables customized service options for BMW drivers based on data collected from the vehicle. At the "Mobility of Tomorrow" event, an initiative of the German Association of the Automotive Industry held on May 30th in Berlin, Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of both the Board of Management of BMW AG and the Customer Engagement and Digital Business Innovation BMW Group, explained the service.

"BMW CarData will take the connectivity of our vehicles to a new dimension. Our BMW ConnectedDrive customers will be able to take advantage of new, innovative and customized third-party services in a quick and easy manner. Protecting vehicle data is part of our understanding of premium in the highly-connected vehicle. This is what customers expect from us. In this way, we are allowing customers to decide what happens with their data. This is precisely the philosophy behind BMW CarData."

Schwarzenbauer also said that CarData will help expand the connected services available to customers. "BMW CarData will take the connectivity of our vehicles to a new dimension."

With BMW CarData active, drivers can save on insurance costs. For example, drivers can save with individualized insurance premiums which can be based on actual miles driven by the data provided from the vehicle. A driver can also get personalized information and entertainment via the vehicle's infotainment system.

Any BMW model with a built-in SIM card can use BMW CarData service. Approximately 8.5 million BMW vehicles currently meet this requirement. Once customers have registered their BMW in the ConnectedDrive portal, they are also able to use BMW CarData at no additional cost.

Telematics Data and a SIM Card 

BMW CarData works as the vehicle generates data, including condition data, such as the vehicle's mileage, usage-based data, such as average fuel consumption, and event data. Some of this data is transmitted exclusively, in encrypted form as "telematics data" via the permanently installed SIM card in the vehicle to secure BMW servers. From there, with the consent of the customer, third party service providers can access the encrypted data needed for certain services. BMW assured that data security is always top priority.

BMW vehicles already send certain telematics data to BMW as part of BMW ConnectedDrive depending on the availability and use of the services. This data is stored on a BMW server for security.

BMW CarData now offers you the opportunity to request the current value of the data at any time for inspection, or revoke third party access with a few mouse clicks, sort of like a privacy checkup. If desired and authorized by you, third parties can call up the latest state of selected telematics data via BMW CarData to offer you personalized services. This provided you have explicitly released this data for this third party.

Direct third-party access to the vehicle, which greatly increases the risk of hacking is avoided, as the data is stored on BMW servers. Peter Schwarzenbauer: "For customers, CarData means security, transparency and control over data from your own car, combined with the many benefits of customized services." The CarData service is available now to BMW drivers.

Eric Walz

Originally hailing from New Jersey, Eric is a automotive & technology reporter covering the high-tech industry here in Silicon Valley. He has over 15 years of automotive experience and a bachelors degree in computer science. These skills, combined with technical writing and news reporting, allows him to fully understand and identify new and innovative technologies in the auto industry and beyond. He has worked at Uber on self-driving cars and as a technical writer, helping people to understand and work with technology.