AA app will predict breakdowns before they happen
New app also helps breakdown organisation tailor its services and can track vehicles if they are stolen.
Roadside assistance organisation the AA is launching a mobile app that can predict breakdowns before they happen.
The new Car Genie app can read a car’s fault codes in real time and provide users with more details on their car’s health, helping to reduce the need for recovery services.
The AA’s connected car manager, Gareth Adams, explained: “When there is a breakdown, the technical helpdesk can contact the member and advise them that, for example, it’s just an oxygen sensor that’s turned the warning light on and it’s safe to drive.”
According to the AA, the system will also read diesel particulate filter faults, and alert drivers that the filter will need regenerating to prevent a breakdown.
However, the system will also help the recovery service make better decisions regarding how best to assist with the incident.
“It means we can deploy patrols more quickly and with more suitable resource,” said Adams. “For example, if we knew a breakdown couldn’t be repaired at the side of the road, we could send a recovery truck in the first instance so the member wouldn’t have to be waiting for one resource, then another.”
As well as offering support for breakdowns, the new app will provide GPS tracking that can locate a car if it is stolen, as well as a driving style monitor that helps members improve their fuel economy.
The Car Genie app will launch in May and costs £29 on top of the annual AA membership fee.
