How Can Quantum Computing Be Used in the Automotive Industry?

Classical computers are used throughout the automotive industry: in manufacturing vehicles, inside vehicles, and applications on the periphery of the industry upon which the industry relies.

How are computers used in the automotive industry?

Classical computers have many uses in automotive manufacturing and the supply chains that make manufacturing possible. They are prevalent in vehicle retailing and in the logistics industry that moves products to dealerships worldwide. Of course, computers are used in energy production, without which automobiles would have limited use. 

How about quantum computers? It turns out that quantum computing might be able to make a significant difference in all these areas: delivering billions of dollars in savings and helping protect the environment.

Which application of quantum computing will be impactful in the automotive industry?

Given that classical computers are easier to use, it’s safe to assume that anything that can be done efficiently by classical computers will continue to be done with classical computers. Therefore, tasks that will be performed with quantum computers will be because quantum computers provide proven, measurable benefits. Some potential applications warrant special attention due to their extra significant potential benefits.  

One such quantifiable benefit of quantum computing will be using computational fluid dynamics to avoid expensive tunnel testing. The aerospace and automotive industries spend  $35 billion per year on that. Quantum computing could save billions of dollars on this alone and should present a clear return on investment (ROI).

Another significant benefit may be predicting traffic patterns for autonomous vehicles, which is not just a routing but also an image classification problem. Companies like Volkswagen are already pioneering that while using quantum computing to streamline logistics and optimize production costs (for instance, paint shop scheduling). Meanwhile, BMW uses quantum computing for such applications as sensor placement and configuration management.

Furthermore, the environment benefits significantly from better batteries – using quantum computers to make batteries lighter, smaller, and more efficient. This impacts both electric vehicle (EV) batteries but also and solar cells and the related energy storage technologies. Another potential application of quantum computing is carbon fixation, which means “better carbon capture and reduced carbon emission.”

How else can quantum computing be used in the automotive industry?

Starting with manufacturers, quantum computers may become helpful for product design, supply chain optimization, configuration management, and optimizing scheduling. They may also be used to optimize sensor placement and to route from the sensors to a vehicle’s various systems. 

Moving to retailers, quantum computers may become helpful in ad optimization and loyalty rewards optimization to get customers in through the dealerships’ doors. Once there, customers may be subject to credit risk analysis and insurance risk analysis. Both of those risks can be mitigated through fraud detection and fraud reduction.

But vehicles have to get from manufacturers to dealerships. That may involve quantum-assisted logistic optimization, including shipping logistics. 

Drivers may have the most quantum computing applications of all. In addition to the computers that make a vehicle work, options include a GPS for route optimization, Natural Language Processing (NLP) for safety-enhancing hands-free options, and weather forecasting (icy roads, hydroplaning).

Then, of course, companies that employ drivers have additional potential applications. In addition to quantum-assisted scheduling optimization, concerns include bus route optimization. 

Consumers will feel other applications will be all those optimizations above, especially traffic flow optimization.

Finally, none of these vehicles will get very far without fuel. Energy production is an issue, including oil extraction and energy reduction issues. When talking about electric cars, an additional concern is infrastructure optimization, including power grid optimization. All of these are potential applications of quantum computing.

We’re seeing numerous applications that are ripe for disruption by quantum computing. Due to intellectual property concerns, it is impossible to know all applications being researched by industry players are researching.

While it is difficult to measure the current impact of quantum computing on the automotive industry, the potential benefits are real enough that companies are investing considerable money into this research. It seems reasonable to assume that a significant percentage of these applications will be realized once quantum computers mature enough. There are also likely to be applications across the board that no one has thought of yet.

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