Predictive Maintenance Aims to Stop Corvette Problems Before They Arise

The connected car is coming. Not only will it be linked with the roads it’s driving on and the other cars it’s driving around, but the connected car will be able to communicate with its driver when it has a tummy ache. Or, you know, something like a low battery or bad starter. At least, that’s what General Motors and Chevrolet have in mind.

The brains in cars are already extremely complex, but now GM wants them to be able to recognize when something within the vehicle might be at risk. Essentially, the “predictive technology” should be able to pick up on and diagnose various symptoms the car is outputting.

The new upgrade — initially offered on the 2016 Chevy Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Corvette, and Equinox — will keep its eyes on the starters, the fuel pumps, and the 12-volt batteries. With the assistance of OnStar, every time the car starts up, it will diagnose specific data — like electric resistance or low charging. If “anomalies” are noticed within the data, then OnStar will alert the driver with a text, email, or on the car’s screen. This way, the driver can fix the issue, if there truly is one, before it leaves him or her stranded somewhere. This will also help dealerships fix the cars.

“Accuracy is the key to our prediction algorithms,” chief technologist for Vehicle Health Management at GM Steve Holland said in a press release. “We will be able to inform dealer service departments so they can spend less time testing for a condition we have already diagnosed. They can replace the necessary part quicker and minimize the amount of time a customer’s vehicle is at the dealership.”

Surely some people will take this as another way for GM to make sure you’re buying and spending more money on their parts, but if used with proper diagnosis, it could really be helpful down the road. We’ll just have to wait and see.

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Via [Chevy]