MAN has launched a new digital service, MAN Now, said to be the first service to offer over-the-air features, which has gone live in the UK, EU, Norway and Switzerland.
Similar to a smartphone, which sees the user install the apps that they currently require, customers on the MAN Now platform receive upgrades that enable them to adapt the functionality of their trucks to their respective needs. These upgrades can now be run en route and at any time via mobile internet, without the need for cables or a visit to the workshop.
MAN Now, one of the MAN DigitalServices on the RIO platform, allows customers to upgrade their software in a straightforward and convenient manner. MAN OnlineTraffic, the first feature on MAN Now to be made available ‘over-the-air’, enables truck drivers to plan the best possible route by feeding route-specific, real-time data on the current traffic conditions into the vehicle navigation system.
The system also considers relevant restrictions, such as clearance heights or permissible gross weights on bridges when working out the optimum route.
MAN OnlineTraffic can be activated in MAN Now. After logging onto the online platform, fleet managers can equip each vehicle with the latest features on an ongoing and needs-oriented basis – at the touch of a button via the internet, without visiting the workshop.
Trucks from earlier model series can also be retrofitted with MAN DigitalServices. MAN Now makes use of the automatic installation compatibility function to find out which features are currently available for each truck in the fleet and if they can be retrofitted.
With the MAN media system Navigation Advanced on board, customers have access to MAN OnlineTraffic free of charge for one year. That access is extended to two years if they have the MAN media system Navigation Professional on board.
MAN MapUpdate, with its up-to-date maps and geographically regional packages, will soon be available to customers on MAN Now. MAN Now will be expanded to include other over-the-air features in the course of 2021. In future, MAN Now will afford fleet managers the option of adapting the software configuration of their vehicles to suit the prevailing commercial requirements, such as software to reduce fuel consumption, gearbox driving programmes or additional language packs.
