The Mobile Application ZF CAR CONNECT for Driver Assistance

Automotive

Building a cross-platform React Native app for OPENMATICS (ZF Friedrichshafen AG) to automate fleet management, driver logbooks, and Chinese market localization.

[ Client ]

About the Client

OPENMATICS, a subsidiary of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, provides access to real-time telematics data for efficient fleet management. The client offers software, firmware, and hardware for tracking vehicles and diagnosing maintenance issues, and provides navigation and diagnostics tools for fleet operators.

Automotive

Germany

Multi-phase

Mobile Development

Cross-Platform Dev

4

Development Phases Delivered

2

Platforms: iOS & Android

1

China-Compliant Localization

[ Challenge ]

Fleet Transparency, Driver Trust, and a Chinese Market

Our team faced three core challenges:

Transparent work: Vehicles were used for both work and private trips, but operators had to track them manually, creating disputes between drivers and clients.

Driver support on the road: Drivers needed confidence in accurate pay calculations and access to help when vehicles experienced technical issues.

Chinese market specifics: OPENMATICS found a customer in China, but Google services don't operate there. The client needed Chinese maps, the local app market, and full data residency within China as required by law.

[ Solution ]

Building the Solution

Akveo built ZF CAR CONNECT as a cross-platform React Native application across four phases:

Phase 1 and 2: Core app for passenger car driver assistance, with a digital logbook, trip linking, private/business trip marking, vehicle parameter analytics, crash reports, and driver support. Built using UI Kitten (Akveo's open-source React Native library).

Phase 3: Embedded sweeper machine tracking including area navigation, equipment status monitoring, and UX/UI improvements from a UX audit.

Phase 4: Changed map integrations, rearchitected the backend, and updated the deployment process for Chinese market compliance and data residency requirements.

Impact that Matters

[ Results]

ZF CAR CONNECT launched as a production-ready cross-platform app serving both European and Chinese markets, with fleet management, driver support, and regulatory compliance built in.

Transparent fleet operations

The digital logbook and trip categorization gave fleet operators full visibility into vehicle usage, eliminating manual tracking and reducing disputes between drivers and clients.

China market ready

Custom map integrations and a rearchitected backend ensured full compliance with Chinese data residency laws, allowing OPENMATICS to serve their Chinese customer on the local app market.

One extensible platform

By embedding sweeper vehicle tracking into the existing app rather than building a separate product, the team reduced development overhead and gave OPENMATICS a single extensible fleet platform.

[ Tech Stack ]