Connected Vehicle Ecosystem Gains New Fuel And Speed

Allow us at PYMNTS to take a brief step back and admire the landscape — in this case, the growing, though still young, connected vehicle ecosystem. A decade or two from now, such a look will be possible only via history books, TV and magazine retrospectives, or unreliable personal memories. Now, though, one can see how this massive economic, commercial and cultural shift is taking place in real life.

OK, respected readers, that’s a long way of getting to the point: A new deal involving P97 Networks and Accenture Ventures provides the latest firm demonstration of how that emerging ecosystem is being shaped — and the latest example of how the various players that will provide connected vehicle payments and commerce are taking sides and forming teams.

In a new PYMNTS interview, P97 CEO Don Frieden talked about what this investment deal means for connected cars and trucks — and why businesses might want to prepare earlier than expected for the next big shift involving the combination of automotive, payment and commerce technologies: the autonomous vehicle revolution.

Ecosystem Growth

Accenture, according to P97, has made an equity investment in the company and formed an “alliance” with it. That means a few things, Frieden told PYMNTS. P97 gets more funding fuel for its ongoing global growth efforts, among the most difficult efforts for any company. “It’s hard to round up a team around the globe very fast,” he said. Longer term, P97 gets to team up with a company that has a focus on and experience with voice-enabled payments — which seems all but certain to play a vital role in the rise of connected vehicle payments and commerce, and its success.

“They have partnered with tech innovators like Amazon ,” he said, naming Accenture as the company, with its voice-assistance retail technology […]

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