Welcome to the Internet of...Cars?

Sure, the Internet of Things is drawing lots of buzz, but Zubie, a company specializing in  connected-car services for enterprises, small business and consumers, is focused on the Internet of Cars. It has created an open API platform called ZinC (Zubie for the Internet of Cars), tht purportedly lets developers and engineers build third-party apps and service integrations on top of Zubie's existing connected-car platform.

Some developers and partners, including Openbay and Urgent.ly, have already registered for the ZinC platform in beta. ZinC currently powers deployments for Safeco's Teen Driving Program, GeekSquad and Telefonica's O2 Car Connection. 

Open APIs and networking technologies for cars are nothing new. The Linux Foundation, among others, steers many initiatives focused on bringing networking and digital technologies to automobiles. 

Zubie was founded in 2012 and has focused exclusively on connected cars. Recently, the company partnered with Autonation, the largest retailer of new passenger vehicles in the U.S., to provide dealerships with real time insights about their customers' vehicles and service visits.

"The Internet of Cars industry is growing, but there is still much more to be tapped. ZinC opens a door for new players to enter and create applications that help small businesses and consumers, ultimately moving the market opportunity forward," said Tim Kelly, CEO of Zubie. "There is an immense amount of interest from developers to create ZinC, and we look forward to seeing what they do with this technology."

ZinC can be used to build apps for optimizing fuel economy, driving improvement, trip sharing, parking, smart/connected home functionality and numerous other things. It can also facilitate apps for simplifying fleet management, integrating with expense and billing platforms, powering car-sharing services and more. Zubie's API is open, and you can find out more here.