Vodafone Germany announced a partnership with the start-up ThinxNet and its TankTaler product to bring connected car services to older-model vehicles. TankTaler offers a plug-in device that can connect to the car's on-board diagnostics system and share data over a Vodafone Sim in the device or with a smartphone running the TankTaler app.
Users receive information average fuel consumption, mileage and fuel available, as well as location and distance traveled thanks to the integrated GPS. They can also pay for fuel, starting first in Cologne and Munich and expanding to "hundreds" of petrol stations in Germany later this year. Customers using the system will receive rewards of up to 2 cents per liter which can later be exchanged for vouchers from shops such as Amazon.
TankTaler, together with the insurance partners HDI and SV Sparkassen Versicherung, also ensures more security. If an accident occurs, the plug uses the Vodafone Sim card to make an automatic emergency call.
Vodafone and ThinxNet are presenting the services at Cebit in Hannover.
