New In-Car Device Sends 'Tweets' Requesting Vehicle Service

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – PoolCar, an Aussie fleet software startup, sees a future where every corporate fleet vehicle has its own Twitter account.

The PoolCar software engineers, called the “pitcrew”, have created an in-car Android device that tweets the vehicle’s location, speed, and CO2 output in real time, according to the company.

The in-car device knows when the next service is due and based on current mileage can “hash-tag” a work order request for servicing and maintenance.

“It’s all part of our Fleet Analytics platform,” said Kurt Lingohr, founder of PoolCar, which is focused on redefining vehicle fleet management. The fleet performance management platform integrates business needs, lifecycle costs, safety, and sustainability.

Based on the vehicle’s current heading, servers tweet to the car traffic congestion and route suggestions for display on an optional dash-mounted screen.

When it is time to refuel, servers can tweet the cheapest fuel price based on the GPS location and day of week.

“We’re very fortunate to be standing at the intersection of the Twitter messaging API, 3G networks, and Android mobile computing,” said Lingohr.