How would you monetize the data collected from Tesla cars as more users adopt and drive electric vehicles?
Google- Dianne Stinger
A few clarification/assumptions for the start,
- I’m assuming the role of PM with Tesla.
- Is there any particular objective here, from the looks of it looks like revenue is the objective but apart from that any particular objective?
(Interviewer says go ahead with Revenue) - For the sake of discussion, I’m assuming the Geography is India. (Interviewer nods along)
- What is the end goal for Tesla here? I believe the end goal is to push entire world towards sustainability. (Interviewer: OK)
Going ahead, understanding the EV ecosystem is very nascent in India. Govt. is incentivizing people to move toward electric vehicle but the infrastructure seems to lag i.e., charging stations, power supply and so on. However, Tesla has demonstrated is prowess in North America and Europe region and there’s already a hype created around Tesla cars even before they have launched Indian version of Tesla. Indian 4 wheeler market is occupied by major domestic players like Tata, Mahindra, Maruti and other international players like Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen to name a few. EV market is projected to pick up rapidly in the coming days.
Check with the interviewer if there’s any possible link missing that needs to be considered here. (Interviewer seems fine to go ahead)
I’d then want to look at major challenges that the EV ecosystem faces today, within the ecosystem what challenges are faced by drivers and manufacturers.
- Owner needs a higher safety aspect with EV cars
- Owner wants a smooth driving experience with EV cars
- Owner wants to know if they get a better range with EV cars
- The owner wants to reduce the hassle of maintenance of the car and regular updates as the entire ecosystem is new
- The owner wants to understand when, where, or how much charging is required
- OEM would want to provide a rich experience to the owner
- OEM would want to reduce any after-incidents that bring them in a bad light
Check with the interviewer if there’s anything else that is important and is missed
Based on the above points, I’d like to prioritize a few needs. I’d like to see if any need is urgent and frequent.
Concerning the owner, I’d want to prioritize 1 and 2. As Tesla’s pricing would be somewhere in the premium category >= 20 lakhs on road car price owners care about experience and safety aspects more. Concerning OEMs, I’d see point 7 that needs to be addressed, as we’ve seen some incidents in the past and how it hampers the brand (Ola’s 2-wheeler was in the news sometime back, for this exact reason).
Prioritized pain points:
- I want improved safety aspects
- I want a rich driving experience
- OEMs want to reduce after-sale incidents
Brainstorm a few solutions around the same needs.
- Auto braking and steering assist during emergencies? There has to be a manual over-ride for the same, but
- When to active airbags at what angle considering the impact to minimize damage?
- Driver fatigue or emergency, how to detect that and navigate the car?
- Shift or auto-shift driving modes based on the road and traffic condition
- Auto-detect potential issues ahead of time and warn drivers of the same
Based on the above points, I can suggest some model that I can sell to other EVs, I can keep validating and improving my models based on the data received.
Some example of the model that I can suggest:
- Diagnose when there could be a potential engine malfunction
- Detect drivers pulse and eyes, in case they get unconscious need to take over driving and park the car. Also inform the family, friends and authorities on the same
- If there’s any potential accident going to happen, judge the impact and based on that provide additional safety measures like assist steering and open more air bags and so on
- Sometimes driving in traffic could be really taxing, having a system which detects that traffic is there to stay and hence take over the responsibility from the driver for next 30-40 mins till the time traffic condition eases (thinking of tier 1, most populated and traffic cities in India)
Summarize this entire approach and check with the interviewer.
Looking for a review/feedback on the same. Thanks!