AI’s Role in the Business of Washing Cars
By Angela Altass
Is there a place for artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the carwash industry? Some carwash operators are already embracing AI while others are watching and contemplating how or if it fits their business.
“Like any new major shift in technology, there are early adopters who want to figure it out while others are not there yet,” says Bobby Thomson, CEO and founder of Retention Express, which offers AI solutions, including voice and chat assistant technology, and live support to businesses. “Given AI’s rapid growth and expansion, some operators will want to see how the trials and errors from early adopters determine new ways to do things and where costs are best used to provide the greatest return on investment.”
AI can give carwash operators insight into traffic flow, provide speed for solving issues, handle repetitive tasks and collect key data. It can help with marketing, operations, maintenance, training and sales, says Thomson.
Finding a trusted partner to assist with AI implementation can be “the key to getting it right,” says Thomson. “There is a lot of noise around AI in general and you need to filter through it, set proper expectations and understand that the human element is still very relevant. Incorporating AI is no different than hiring employees. You still need to train it, manage it, and provide coaching feedback.”
Forms of AI technology have been around carwashes for more than a decade, as evidenced by license plate reader systems, says Nick Bush, CEO, Confinity Robotics.
“Basic implementations of AI will continue and as hardware and computing power improves, more custom-tailored solutions for individual customers and vehicle types will emerge,” says Bush. “The ability to target particularly dirty or hard to reach spots, coupled with feedback on the level of cleanliness, will eventually replicate today’s hand detailing process. We will continue to see automation push into the more difficult areas of vehicle cleaning. Before long, organizations who do not employ AI in some way will be at a disadvantage.”
By applying the latest technology in the robotics field, Confinity Robotics has developed the world’s first robotic vehicle interior cleaning system, says Bush.
“It uses intelligence to create custom cleaning processes on the fly by recognizing the car’s make, model year, trim and interior configuration,” says Bush. “Each and every cleaning cycle is unique and tailored to the specifics of the vehicle it encounters, and it improves over time.”
For general operations, using AI to automate business process workflows and tasks is already underway and will continue to enhance efficiencies at carwashes, says Bush.
“On the vehicle cleaning side, every car on the road is slightly different in its cleaning needs and will benefit from cleaning processes better dialed in to the specifics of each car’s shape, size, configuration, age, owner behavior, and product styling,” he comments. “Imagine systems that know the best way to clean specific aftermarket rims on your car after it identifies them, or that can adjust its cleaning process to accommodate (and clean) the baby seat in the back of the car. Eventually, AI will help to automatically sense germs or identify heavily soiled spots and focus more energy or time on those areas. Artificial intelligence and advances in perception will enable these trends.”
It’s important to distinguish between today’s common AI systems, explains Bush.
“Digital AI is limited to operations on computers, such as generating text and code, and is quite different than physical AI, which involves sensing, decision-making, and taking physical action,” says Bush. “While great advances have been made in both, digital AI is much further along. Physical AI – limited primarily to research labs today – is immature technology. However, it holds the greatest promise for the carwash industry as a tool for best tailoring the customer experience through its control of machines. Systems built to accommodate these advances in physical AI as they mature will be best positioned to reap their benefits. Currently, the biggest hurdle to adoption is the technology’s maturity. It’s being used increasingly in general business applications but will require investment and time to develop and implement the tailored solutions needed for the carwash industry, particularly for applications used in conjunction with machinery.”
Fran DeGouveia, marketing manager at Just Lubes, uses AI for streamlining tasks like drafting Google review replies, generating content, summarizing documents, analyzing data, and brainstorming ideas.
“It helps improve efficiency and accuracy, allowing me to focus on strategic and creative aspects of my work,” says DeGouveia, who recently took the course Artificial Intelligence for Digital Marketing and Communications at Humber College.
AI can provide value by standardizing processes, analyzing performance across sites, and identifying areas for improvement, says DeGouveia.
“The key is choosing the right AI solutions that fit the scale and goals of the business,” she states. “With the right approach AI can improve efficiency, customer satisfaction and profitability. However, there are also challenges. Implementing AI requires upfront investment in technology and training. There may be resistance to change among staff and ensuring data privacy and accuracy is critical. Not all AI solutions are one-size-fits-all and finding the right tools for your specific business needs can take time. Overall, the benefits can outweigh the challenges when AI is used thoughtfully and strategically.”
There has never been a better time for carwash operators to embrace AI, says Meddy Ali, founder and CEO of Hello Wash, which helps carwash customer service teams use AI to automate over 70 per cent of their phone calls. The company is also developing an AI-powered sales assistant designed to help carwashes increase membership sales and give managers insight into team performance.
“AI is a tool, a powerful one, that, when used correctly, can make your team significantly more efficient,” says Ali. “At Hello Fresh, our approach is built on the simple belief that AI will never replace humans; it’s here to empower them.”
Currently, AI plays a key role in improving efficiency across various aspects of carwash operations, from customer service and sales to management, scheduling, and maintenance, says Ali.
“For example, AI-powered camera systems can detect pre-existing vehicle damage before a car enters the wash, helping to automatically reject false damage claims, saving staff time and resources,” says Ali. “Looking ahead, I envision AI becoming the central intelligence system that connects every part of the carwash, from the customer experience to backend operations. AI will be able to make real-time decisions based on data. Imagine a car entering the wash and the system immediately recognizing when it was last washed, how dirty it is, and calculating the exact amount of water and chemicals needed for a spotless result. It could also assess coverage, identify which system components need maintenance, and automatically trigger reordering of parts. Essentially, the carwash becomes one unified system, with AI acting as the brain that drives smarter, faster, and more profitable operations.”
Ali notes the following examples of ways that AI can help carwashes:
- “First, it takes care of the repetitive stuff, answering the same questions over and over, logging tickets, basic scheduling, things like that. That means your team can focus on real customer issues or in-store operations instead of wasting time on the phone all day.
- Second, it helps reduce costs. We’ve seen teams shrink their support load by over 70 per cent just by letting AI handle the common stuff. That means fewer people drowning in calls and more bandwidth to grow the business.
- Third, it gives insight. You can actually see what customers are asking about, what they’re unhappy with, and what’s working, because AI can break all that down for you without you needing to dig for it.
- And finally, it sets you up to scale. Whether you’ve got one location or 100, AI can help you grow without needing to triple your staff. That’s the beauty of it.”
There are some challenges when it comes to AI and Ali says the biggest one is mindset.
“A lot of people expect AI to just show up, plug in, and instantly fix everything, but that’s not how it works,” he says. “Every carwash is different. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The smart move is just starting the conversation, looking at where your team is spending too much time, where customers are getting stuck, and asking if AI can help. Most of the time, the answer is yes.”
The carwash space is just starting to scratch the surface of what’s possible with AI, says Ali, stressing that “there is a huge opportunity for operators to get ahead now, before it becomes the norm across the industry.”
