SAP, Shell and Volkswagen cooperate on connected vehicles in Europe

SAP, a Germany-based software supplier, has announced a co-innovation pilot program with Shell and Volkswagen AG to investigate how connected vehicles would interact with the world around them.

“We consider the connected car important in the development of our customers’ experience at Shell retail stations,” said Rene Honig, vice president for strategy, portfolio and innovation at Shell’s technical and competitive IT division.

The ongoing pilot in Hannover, Germany, aims to lay the foundations for a range of services including an integrated system for fueling, according to a statement made by SAP back in November.

The connectivity between Volkswagen vehicles and Shell stations, running on a SAP platform, will direct a motorist to the closest parking spot where they can pay for the parking from a mobile. When the vehicle runs low on gas, the system would alert and navigate the driver to the nearest Shell station. The vehicle will then coordinate with the pump number and once again the motorist could pay from a mobile.

This system represents the first time SAP, Shell and Volkswagen have piloted an end-to-end, scalable solution.