Have you noticed how important infotainment systems have become in vehicles lately? Over the years, they went from being a bonus feature to a must-have. It used to be that in-car entertainment was an optional thing, with shows like “pimp my ride” installing everything from TVs to DVD players to Playstations. Today, they’re serious business and many drivers wouldn’t want to buy a car without a decent touchscreen display.
This is even more important for us electric vehicle drivers because we need to carefully plan our routes to ensure there’s enough charge to make it to the destination. Without the right information, drivers could get stuck miles away from a charging station. So, there needs to be not just a map, but detailed information like terrain, wind, temperature, and speed limits all factored in to make sure we don’t get stuck.
Sadly, many vehicle manufacturers have dropped the ball so badly on this that they’ve basically just given the display away to our smartphones. For example, my Chevy Bolt EUV has a decent touchscreen display, but the software is very limited and clunky. So, I usually connect to Android Auto so that I can have good access to Waze, YouTube Music, and A Better Route Planner as needed.
Abbott will join GM’s senior leadership team to spearhead an integrated software organization responsible for the development of enterprise and vehicle software technologies, providing digital services and features for commercial and retail clients.
Furthermore, while at Stanford AI Lab , Abbott served as a Visiting Scholar with a focus on computer vision research as well as global benefits of other products. Prior to his role at GM, he also worked as a General Partner for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers , where he specialized in investments in mobile and cloud computing while also working with budding entrepreneurs to optimize social media tools and team building strategies — and maximize funding.