Michael Gile is the found of FuzzyLuke Inc., a software development company that has released a vehicle diagnostic application for mobile phones that can be used by consumers as well as aftermarket repair shops and auto dealerships. The system pulls diagnostic information from the car into an application on the phones, and uploads it to FuzzyLuke's Web service for evaluation by consumers or repair shops.
How does the solution work?
The system we launched in 2009 uses an off-the-shelf OBD-II wireless device from several manufacturers, but the most prominent is the Kiwi WiFi from POX Devices. You can purchase that direct from POX or from a reseller, then purchase our application from the iPhone app store. We have a Web site and a backend platform that allows customers to upload data collected from their car.
There is a new device coming out from goPoint Technology called goLINK. It's a dedicated iPhone accessory that plugs directly into a J1962 port, and will dock directly with an iPhone or iPod Touch. It will recharge the phone and enable these same FuzzyLuke diagnostic services.
We offer also offer branded and hosted solutions for aftermarket service providers and dealerships, if they want to have a solution for their customers, so they can get access to all that rich diagnostic data in real time as people are driving around. It can allow the aftermarket to tap into that $60 billion a year in unperformed maintenance and repairs.
What do repair shops have to do to provide this type of telematics service?
We help the service shops and dealerships with supply chain management and to understand how these off-the-shelf technologies can be brought to market for their consumers. We can set up a distribution model and sales model so they can make money off of the service. There is a revenue model behind this.
If you have this branded iPhone application, you use that to interact with the store and with the car diagnostics. If the check engine light comes on, FuzzyLink will pull up the trouble codes and send those to our Web service. The local automotive shops can have access to that data, know what the problem is, and then e-mail the consumer or send push notifications. The consumer can also see there is a problem and get access to that aftermarket shop directly from the iPhone application.
The shops can see diagnostic information on customers that have signed up with their branded service. Aftermarket shops can know what the customer's problem is, and then have a perfect jumping off point to speak with them directly.
We're working with some shop customers now, but we haven't publicized that offering as heavily because we're trying to work specifically with forward-looking aftermarket vendors who understand there is a tectonic shift going on in the automotive industry. As soon as we prove there is revenue model there, we're tightly focused on showing those customers a profit. Once those successes become public, we'll roll it out to a broader audience.
As a technology company, what do you see as the primary obstacle for the aftermarket in terms of adopting new technology? Are they cultural? Technological? Financial?
All three of those obstacles (cultural, technological and financial) were, up until 2009, true barriers to entry for FuzzyLuke. However, what you are seeing now is a perfect storm of momentum that is shifting the automotive industry as a whole. On the cultural front, in 2008 we saw a massive financial crash that affected manufacturers, parts suppliers and other aftermarket companies. This cultural shift coincided almost perfectly with the advent of low-cost mobile computers and wireless data service from the iPhone to Android-powered mobile phones. Now we have the ability to present very low-cost, hosted, white label solutions for the aftermarket that allow us to overcome these obstacles.
