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What are logbook applications?
These handy applications offer a multitude of functions, including obtaining mileage travelled which can be used to calculate cost per kilometer per vehicle, differentiating between private and company usage of the vehicle/fuel, and keeping accurate records of business kilometers to claim back from the tax man.
While in former times much of this work would be undertaken manually - absorbing valuable time and resources - an application connected to car data can now perform these tasks easily, providing a personalised service with minimal manual input.
Arguably the biggest advantage of a logbook application is the accuracy of the data provided; it comes straight from the vehicle itself.
However, despite the steps that have been made in logbook applications towards a more streamlined and efficient user experience for drivers there is still a need for higher efficiency and automation.
A huge stumbling block in improving efficiency has been the widespread use of hardware like dongles for tracking vehicle data. Investing in this kind of hardware is not only expensive but the highly localised rules of certain markets mean that some areas have simply been unable to accomodate logbook applications at all, because installing the kind of hardware that meets the criteria of each market is simply too complicated to roll out at scale.
That’s where the Auto API comes in. Working with an API instead of hardware is a way of simplifying the collection of data while increasing the accuracy of the data collected. Let’s take a closer look at the benefits to you, a logbook app developer, of integrating with the Auto API from High Mobility
Benefit 1: Phase out hardware solutions
As we mentioned above, currently many fleet management companies use dongles to collect data from their fleets. However, with an integration of the Auto API this is no longer necessary. Using the API your application can access customer car data straight from the vehicle without the need to install any hardware. This makes the process of adding new vehicles to a fleet and tracking them significantly easier.
Benefit 2: Access data from multiple car makers with one integration
The other major advantage of a standardised car API is that access to customer car data from cars produced by multiple car makers is possible after one technical integration. In the past it might have been necessary for independent service providers to negotiate separate agreements with each car maker. This is no longer the case. When you have a contract with us, you’ll get access to car data from all models from the last three years from BMW and MINI vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, plus more car makers will be available soon.
