The car manufacturer view

ll cars produced from 2015 will automatically call the emergency services in the event of a collision under new European safety legislation.

One industry expert believes this new ruling, known as eCall, will lead to telematics being fitted as standard to all fleet vehicles within 10 years.

Although a number of manufacturers were coy about their telematics developments, most have plans in place to fit as standard in the future.

Citroën began fitting telematics as standard to the C1 Connection special edition in February.

This move resulted from Citroën’s long-standing collaboration with telematics firm Trafficmaster.

The C1 Connection is targeted at young drivers who opt for Citroën’s finance packages. The telematics will be used to monitor driving habits, particularly speed and harsh braking, and provide either free or heavily subsidised insurance.

Renewal premiums will be based on the driving behaviour over the first year of ownership.

Martin Hamill, Citroën UK fleet director, says

Trafficmaster’s Smartnav system, which is already installed in more than 60,000 of its Berlingo, Dispatch and Relay vans, already provides this facility.

“We not only see this type of service as helping drivers needing assistance, but we also believe it enables operators to fulfil their statutory duty of care responsibilities towards employees,” he says.

Once these ‘black boxes’ have been more widely introduced to cope with the eCall legislation, it’s expected that fleet-friendly software that informs fleet managers about everything from live tracking to speeding and harsh braking will follow.

Pat Gallagher, Trafficmaster director – in-vehicle products, says: “An increasing number of manufacturers are looking at installing telematics. It’s most effective when it’s fitted at the factory.

“The eCall legislation will act as the catalyst for this and I believe that within 10 years it will be fitted as standard within fleet vehicles.
“It’s an ideal way for an organisation to demonstrate that it’s adhering to health and safety legislation and avoid corporate liability.
“While every organisation is aware of its obligations concerning data protection, I don’t believe that this will become an issue for fleet managers as they normally make employees aware that their usage is being monitored from the start.”
In addition to Citroën, Trafficmaster also has strategic relationships with 27 car manufacturers including BMW and Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover and Peugeot.
Although Peugeot does not fit telematics as standard, its own equivalent of the eCall system is available on the 508 model.
The company says the potential for telematics to inform in advance its dealership servicing departments about scheduling and parts is among the greatest benefits.
From Peugeot’s perspective, this ensures business efficiencies which bring benefits to drivers through an improved service.