Internet of Things for Cars: TankTaler in test

By means of a small adapter for the diagnostic port, various data can be read out and transferred to your own mobile phone. TankTaler offers a corresponding adapter, which I tried out.

The idea of the ThinxNet GmbH from Munich, who developed the product "Tankers" is actually quite simple: by means of a OBD adapters the kilometres driven are determined and whether you have been to special places (such as petrol stations). For each kilometre driven, the tankers are collected, which can then be exchanged for premiums.

For the user there are some advantages: you can always be guided to the parked car, you can see the current charge level of the battery (especially useful in winter, so you know if the battery has suffered from the cold) and (depending on the car) the current level of the tank. There are also all kinds of statistics: how many kilometres were driven during the day or at night, how many kilometres were driven below or above a defined threshold. You can also have the data sent to you by e-mail as CSV, so that you can use it outside the app.

TankTaler vs. data protection

Of course, data protection is very important for all systems that transmit the current location via the Internet. Especially if, as with the TankTaler system, there are still individual offers for the respective users. According to the website of the operator, all data is transmitted encrypted with HTTPS over a VPN connection to a server in Munich. Furthermore, all offers for TankTaler users are made by the operator himself and not by third parties - data should not be sold under any circumstances.

The procedure is exemplary as follows: if you visit e.g. a kitchen studio with a car, you get a push message with the reference to one of the TankTaler partners. If you now buy the kitchen from this partner, TankTaler gets a commission (like a classic affiliate with direct, occasion-related customer approach) - this is also the business model, which finances the whole system. Nevertheless, you have to trust ThinxNet GmbH to a large extent in this point - if you attach great importance to data protection, you will probably reject such systems from the outset.

The system does not work perfectly - at least not on my 2006 Golf V. It seems that the current mileage as well as the fuel level is not transmitted via the OBD interface. So the data is unfortunately not complete. Nevertheless the TankTaler adapter is an interesting gadget for all those who are enthusiastic about connecting their own car to the Internet of Things. For the Munich area, the adapter is available for free from time to time via Facebook, otherwise the current generation of the adapter 79,- Euro at Amazon.

Update with new functions

Tanktaler has updated the app today and now offers new functions. In particular, the approach to individual journeys has been updated so that the data that is stored is now also evaluated.

In the newsletter Tankers announced the following changes, which are also included:

• Your route on a map
• Speed profile, as well as time display at every point of the journey: You can interactively follow the route you have taken
• Time-speed diagram and average speed display
• You have accidentally named a place wrong or want to delete a route? Now you can delete the name, as well as individual places

It's nice that the app is being developed further. My Golf V still has no fuel gauge and no mileage readout from the on-board computer, but the statistics per trip are definitely better processed than before.

Update: Tanktaler is now Ryd

Tanktaler has changed its name to ryd - from the English word "ride". The free offer is no longer available, if you still have a Tanktaler adapter, you must either return it or purchase a paid plan. I will send my adapter back, because my mileage is much too low.