A driver returns his rental car and is faced with an expensive bill. An AI has detected damage to the vehicle, for which the driver now has to pay.
Artificial intelligence is being used in more and more areas. For over a year now, for example, Amazon has been using technology to check its delivery vans for possible damage. The AI can capture this with a scan within a minute and immediately recognizes whether there is a problem or if the driver made a mistake during the drive.
In the meantime, the car rental company Hertz has also come up with the idea of using this technology to check rental cars. This was recently experienced by a driver who received a bill of around 375 euros after returning his vehicle. The AI found a damage.
Artificial intelligence detects vehicle damage in just a few minutes
The driver reports: The English-language magazine The Drive reports that a reader named Patrick allegedly rented a Volkswagen from Hertz.
When he returned the car, he had a centimeter-sized scratch on the rear wheel on the driver’s side. Patrick says that he was informed “minutes” after returning the VW about the damage, and that he would be charged for the damage:
- 250 dollars for the repairs.
- 125 dollars for processing.
- 65 dollars as an administrative fee.
A total of 440 US dollars for a minor damage to the tire. Converted, that’s about 375 euros. At least: Hertz is said to have offered the driver a discount, depending on how quickly he pays:
- A discount of 52 dollars if he agrees to the terms and pays within two days.
- Or a discount of 32.50 dollars if he pays within a week.
Inspection system relies on three camera systems that completely scan the car
What kind of technology is this? Behind the technology of the inspection stations is the company Uveye: This technology consists of three independent, high-resolution camera systems that do in seconds what it takes a human several minutes: One scans the underside of the vehicle, one checks the quality of the tires, and one focuses on the body of the vehicle. The driver only needs to drive the vehicle through the station, and the AI takes care of the rest.
The AI control of the vehicle is also transparent; all indications and damages are displayed directly to the user via a web app. This way, he can also walk around the car and check the damages that the AI has found. Even Patrick had to admit this.
A car is an expensive investment, and normally one hopes to use a new car for many years. But for a 24-year-old, it was already over after 2 days. And this, even though he had to wait 3 years for the car and made a down payment of around 80,000 US dollars: A 24-year-old had to wait 3 years for his car and paid 80,000 euros – 2 days after his first ride, the car is already broken
