Wejo Insights: Americans Turned to Vehicles for Survival During 2022 Bomb Cyclone Event

New insights showcase how connected vehicle data can help emergency services, utilities and DoTs prioritize aid during extreme weather events

Wejo Group Limited (NASDAQ: WEJO), a global leader in Smart Mobility for Good™ and cloud and software solutions for connected, electric and autonomous vehicle data, today released its “Americans turn to their vehicles for survival as power outages sweep across the US during the 2022 Bomb Cyclone” insights. According to these insights, during this month’s bomb cyclone, which impacted more than 60 percent of the U.S. from December 20 to December 26, Americans were more likely to use their cars for charging electronic devices and warmth when compared to the same period in 2021.

Wejo’s data shows that during the bomb cyclone, there was an:

• Increase in Stationary Journeys: At state-level, Wejo connected vehicle data shows an abrupt increase in journeys that went only 328 feet maximum and lasted 30 minutes or less. Compared to the same period in 2021, it’s clear that the key driver of this is the bomb cyclone and the related power cuts.
• Increase in Use of Vehicles for Heat, Power and News: Vehicles that are activated for more than 30 minutes but not moving indicated that Americans likely turned to their vehicles for heat and power – and news updates via their car radios. As of December 23, Ohio residents, for example, were five times more likely to keep warm in their vehicles when compared to the same period the previous year.

“As we’ve seen through the end of year, our connected vehicle data from 95% of U.S. roads can bring insights that are invaluable when deciding how to prioritize resources during times of extreme weather,” said Richard Barlow, founder and CEO of Wejo. “From understanding what roads are closed and blocked to identifying rural areas where residents have turned to their vehicles due to power outages and may be in need of assistance, the power of the insights that we can give to DoTs and emergency services during extreme weather cannot be underestimated.”

Wejo’s findings related to the bomb cyclone are consistent with an earlier analysis of the Texas storm of 2021, which highlighted similar findings:

• Decrease in Journeys, But Some Still Risk Driving on Roads: Traffic volumes measured by the number of journeys decreased by 2/3rds when the storm hit on Monday, February 15 when compared to the previous Monday and were 50 percent lower than the previous week. This indicates that some drivers were still ignoring advice to stay off the major road networks.
• Increase Use of Vehicles for Heat, Power and News, Especially During the Coldest Times of Day: Similarly, during the week of the storm, the number of vehicles with their engine activated but not moving increased, which coincided with a wide range of power cuts, indicating people were likely using their vehicles to keep warm and charge mobile devices. This activity peaked during early hours, indicating that during the coldest part of the night people retreated to their cars to keep warm. The average time people spent in their vehicle while stationary jumped from four minutes to over 25 minutes.

Wejo’s latest analysis underscores the power of insights gathered via connected vehicle data. The ability to access real-time insights via Wejo’s solutions, such as Winter Roads Insights, empowers DoTs and emergency response services with a cost-effective solution to effectively treat road networks and make life-saving decisions during extreme weather events.

Wejo’s traffic intelligence solutions, such as Winter Roads Insights, are part of a $3.4bn market opportunity. Through Wejo’s Winter Road Insights solution, a wide range of government departments can use these real-time insights for improved responses to incidents on roads, road closures and power outages. The real-time insights also enable vehicle after-sales and auto repair shops to be better prepared for what parts may be required post-weather event, as the findings also note a rise in bodywork damage and other necessary auto repairs to vehicles during these extreme weather events.

Learn more about Wejo’s data insights here: Americans turn to their vehicles for survival as power outages sweep across the US during the 2022 Bomb Cyclone

More information on Wejo’s Winter Road Insights here: https://www.wejo.com/products/winter-road-insights

About Wejo

Wejo Group Limited is a global leader in cloud and software analytics for connected, electric, and autonomous mobility, revolutionizing the way we live, work and travel by transforming and interpreting historic and real-time vehicle data. The Company enables smarter mobility by organizing trillions of data points from 20.1 million vehicles, of which 13.7 million were active on the platform transmitting data in near real-time, and over 87.2 billion journeys globally as of November 30, 2022, across multiple brands, makes and models, and then standardizing and enhancing those streams of data on a vast scale. Wejo partners with ethical, like-minded companies and organizations to turn that data into insights that unlock value for consumers. With the most comprehensive and trusted data, information, and intelligence, Wejo is creating a smarter, safer, more sustainable world for all. Founded in 2014, Wejo has offices in Manchester, UK and in regions where Wejo does business around the world. For more information, visit www.wejo.com or connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements

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