When you think of Android Automotive, you probably think of cars, EVs to be specific. But that’s not the only place the OS can be used, as KTM is now using Android Automotive OS on motorcycles.
Alongside the announcement of new touchscreen dashboards for motorcycles, KTM is also now using Android Automotive OS in this updated hardware. This allows for more advanced functionality including offline navigation, as well as more apps and over-the-air updates.
KTM says:
Staying connected to the world outside of your helmet is also made even easier, thanks to an upgraded CCU3.0 connectivity unit with 32 GB of storage and 3 GB of RAM which ultimately runs the Android Automotive operating system. This allows for IoT connectivity with eSim, a GPS Antenna, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
Android Auto, the platform that’s projected from your smartphone, has been available on some motorcycles for years now, but using Android Automotive OS may be a better, safer option. Android Auto, even when running wired, is prone to occasional connection issues, and it’d be very dangerous to troubleshoot that on a bike.
Notably, this likely isn’t the same Android Automotive you’ll find in many cars, as there’s no mention of the Play Store or Google apps & services. Presumably, that might simply boil down to Google’s focus on cars – as Mishaal Rahman points out, Google and its partners often refer to Android Automotive as “Cars with Google built-in.”
KTM’s new Android Automotive dashboards for motorcycles come in vertical and horizontal layouts and will start to show up in the company’s premium motorcycles.
More on Android Automotive:
- Android Automotive gains Google Maps incident reporting function
- Android 15 for Android Automotive adds homescreen dock, Bluetooth boosts, more
- Android Automotive adds heads-up distance and estimated arrival times with Google Maps
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