“eCall is a driver and enabler of other services. It will force manufacturers to think about telematics and they will not settle for an eCall service alone,” says Per Lindberg, global business development executive at Telenor Connexion, which has worked with Volvo on its eCall solution for more than 10 years.

“Wirelessly enabling a vehicle makes so many new features possible, such as stolen vehicle tracking, infotainment, media downloads and much more. We will see an abundance of new services that are all a result of the eCall trigger,” he says.

Damian James, head of the transport division at Bracknell Forest Council, agrees. “Subject to e-Call being installed in all new vehicles (not just cars), I think it will change the telematics industry significantly as the current aftermarket fitment of units will no longer be required,” he says.

“I think that add-on telematics type services will be purchased by the vehicle owner as required, but through the manufacturer rather than an aftermarket supplier.”

But the view of telematics companies is not so clear.

Graham Gordon, marketing manager of Cybit, believes it will be “hard to work out just what the impact of eCall will be”. 

He adds that the explosion of interest in telematics has so far been driven by the ability of users to save money and that it is this which will continue to be the driver in the future.

Rapid advances in technology

However, Steve Blackburn, vice-president, Navman Wireless, warns that the eCall system risks being superseded by technology that already exists.

“Retinal scans, steering wheel pressure monitors, real-time video – all of these are within grasp now and are likely to dramatically redefine our concept of road safety,” he says.

“In five years’ time, if advancements proceed at the current pace, the solutions will eclipse today’s market.”

Blackburn suggests that one of the key developments could be a telematics device with a built in camera, providing real-time imagery.

“Telematics in the next four or five years will be about engaging with the driver more so that they drive safely,” he adds. 

“We already tell drivers when they need to take break. That could be taken a stage further by seeing when the driver is fatigued. If a driver gets into his car following a late night and he is showing signs of tiredness, such as his eyes flickering or his head dropping forward, it could raise an alert.

“Or there could come a time when we are able to log into a vehicle, see how someone is driving and give them feedback about their driving in real-time. We could tell them about driving habits like braking too late.”

All these developments enable fleets to take pre-emptive action; eCall in its current evolution is about reacting to the situation.

Real-time footage could allow fleet operators – or driver trainers – to watch and analyse high risk drivers.

They could also benefit from finding out whether drivers were adopting techniques they had been taught in driver training. 

“The driver training company could log in and analyse the way the person was driving and then give a report to the fleet operator,” Blackburn says.

TomTom Business Solutions agrees that there is great value in being able to give drivers real-time feedback.

“As well as driver behaviour such as harsh braking and cornering, our most recent eco-product also provides live information such as the rev per minute, the gear the vehicle is in, fuel consumption and carbon footprint,” says Giles Margerison, UK sales director at TomTom Business Solutions.

“Fleet operators can use this information to monitor their fleet policy and see how well it is working.

“Shaping behaviour by creating best practice and giving feedback to the driver is a key area for telematics companies to focus on in the future.”

Margerison also suggests that a device like eCall could complement telematics rather than replace it.

Telematics partnerships

James takes a similar view. He believes telematics companies could form partnerships with manufacturers, helping them to minimise the costs of investing in eCall technology.

Another, cheaper, alternative might be to utilise Bluetooth.

“I think that manufacturers will partner with a telematics supplier who will provide boxes to be fitted at vehicle production,” says James.

“It’s key for customer confidence that the services are manufacturer branded and covered under the usual vehicle warranty.

“This will also be a potential income stream for the manufacturer as the services will be subscription based. The customer will then be able to select from a menu of other services that they may want.

“These could include remote diagnostics, vehicle and driver monitoring, or mapping.”

Some manufacturers have already installed eCall type systems into their existing models.

Volvo, for instance, has OnCall. “We’ve known of a number of customers who, having had an enormous accident, wake up to the emergency services cutting them out of their car,” says Duncan Forrester, head of public affairs, events and sponsorship.

“They’ve not intervened in the process, it’s all been automated and in that time of need, you need as much help as you can get.”

BMW also has its own emergency call system, Advanced eCall, part of its Connected Drive system.