Already adept at handling music and communication devices, Ford's Sync system will soon add an emergency services option.
While not the best buzzword to ever come out of the auto industry, telematics describes the use of onboard diagnostics and communications technologies to relay information about a vehicle to the outside world and vice versa. Most people are familiar with industry pioneer and leader OnStar and its services, if not the term telematics itself. The company has built considerable awareness of the benefits of the connected car — and amassed a sizeable subscriber base in the process.
But GM-owned OnStar’s current offerings could represent just the tip of the telematics iceberg — and the company could soon face some serious competition. This is almost inevitable as others move into the market, with predictions of nearly 30 million new “connected” cars by 2013.
First in the Field
Thanks to OnStar’s advertising efforts, most people associate telematics with assisting drivers in emergencies. This has proven a compelling selling point for safety-minded motorists, and has helped OnStar gain over 5.5 million subscribers. The company has also added convenience features — from hands-free calling to turn-by-turn navigation — to entice car owners to extend and upgrade their subs.
For several years OnStar was available on several other automakers’ vehicles, including those from Acura, Audi, Isuzu, Lexus, Subaru and VW. But according to OnStar, as the company geared up to switch from an analog to a digital cellular network at the start of this year, most of those automakers chose to opt out of providing the service.
Some older Acura and Isuzu vehicles still have OnStar onboard, and the company continues to provide back-end support for the LexusLink system. BMW Assist and Mercedes Tele Aid services are provided by telematics provider ATX, while AcuraLink is serviced in-house and by a variety of vendors, although none of these offers the broad sweep of services provided by OnStar.
Telematics Take Two
The connected-car market should really heat up once Hughes Telematics hits the road in Chrysler and Mercedes vehicles starting in 2009. While Hughes Telematics will offer safety services and convenience features comparable to OnStar’s, the company wants to make the car part of consumers’ increasingly connected lifestyles.
Some of the bells and whistles being touted by Hughes Telematics include the ability to safely receive e-mail behind the wheel, locate the vehicle of a family member from a home PC, and remote monitoring of emissions. Plus, the system will allow you to customize everything from the music for your morning commute to traffic reports that let you more accurately estimate your travel time from door to door.
Ford also announced recently that it will offer telematics by adding 911 Assist to its popular Microsoft-powered Sync system by the end of 2008. Unlike other systems, Sync links to a driver’s own mobile phone instead of one embedded in the car. So while the system will be limited to automatically dialing 911 when an airbag deploys or the emergency fuel-cutoff is triggered, it won’t require a monthly subscription, making it an attractive and inexpensive alternative.
Discuss: Are telematics the next BIG THING in cars?
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OnStar, which launched in 1996, is now available in over 50 GM new vehicles and comes with a free one-year subscription to one of two service plans. The Safe & Sound plan costs $18.95 per month or $199 per year thereafter and offers a variety of services, chief of which is Automatic Crash Response that connects the car and driver to OnStar once sensors in a vehicle detect an accident has occurred.
The system not only pinpoints the car’s location and alerts emergency responders, but it can also determine the severity of a crash and even whether the car has rolled over. The Safe & Sound Plan also includes convenience features such as door unlocking and roadside assistance as well as stolen-vehicle location.
OnStar’s Directions & Connections plan, which costs $28.90 a month or $299 per year, includes all of the features of Safe & Sound and, among other things, adds navigation and “concierge” assistance to help locate gas stations, ATMs and other roadside services. Hands-free calling can be added to either plan, with minutes purchased through OnStar or shared with a Verizon Wireless plan.
