Before we delve into what connected cars can do, let me first state the most difficult problem I see for the future of telematics — financial — so that you can consider this issue while we look at system features in production and coming down the line. Who pays for the service? Until that is solved, the debate of telematics is mostly of interest while the service is included in the honeymoon period of ownership.
You may be thinking that telematics are only important for navigation, entertainment and emergency services, but think about where we are going with vehicle telemetry systems. We have cars today that can parallel park themselves, avoid accidents and locate the edges of the lane you should be driving in. And all of these operations require telemetry of some sort. For the most part, this is done with cameras and proximity sensors, but the next generation is currently operational where a combination of GPS and a smart grid underneath or around the vehicle will help it locate itself geographically. For this technology to work, the car must be able to “feel it’s skin.” In other words, it has to know how far a component extends from it and how close an object is to within an inch or so. Herein lies a new set of repairs and calibrations that are going to be required to return a damaged vehicle to pre-accident condition.
We have been repairing and recalibrating steering wheel position sensors for some time. In general, they are pretty easy to setup once the vehicle is aligned properly; however, I wonder what happens to an automatic steering system or accident avoidance system’s effectiveness if the vehicle has an alignment-related pull. Time will tell us how that works out.
Likewise, I wonder happens to the traction control system that automatically brakes when an object that is too close if you change the tires and it results in a change in stopping distance. Most of us who live in areas of snowfall have experienced an ABS system trying to do its job in the snow when it has a tire with poor snow traction. The brakes lock up so easily that the car or truck can sail right through an intersection with both of the driver’s feet mashing the brake pedal to the floor.
Telematics is also a moving target for the software. If a vehicle has a GPS sensor, a WiFi card and the equivalent of sight and touch, there are a lot of things you can do with it. I drive a 2013 Focus ST with the automated center stack. The software has been updated at least 2 times that I know of in the eight months I have owned it. Initially it had a WiFi system that did not connect to anything, and I am really not sure what it would be used for except as an access point for other devices brought into the car. However, after the dealer ran an update, I was able to connect to my home wireless network. One morning a week or two later, I started the car and the screen said something about performing system maintenance. This leads me to my list of things you can do with this ability and the aforementioned sensors.
- Update software on various modules in the car while the car is shutdown;
- Update navigation software to include the latest road work
- Locate the car if it is stolen or the payments have not been made
- Upload driver behavior, which is handy for parents, but can be scary for drivers if you don’t know who is watching you.
- Upload diagnostic information. The question of who gets this information is huge for mechanical shops
- Download my latest playlist to the center stack
- House my credit card information so when I drive through at a burger or coffee joint. my car pays the bill for me.
- Upload crash diagnostic information at the time of impact to first responders. If you think this sounds far fetched, think about all of the diagnostic information the Supplemental Restraint System can generate. Yaw and inertia sensors can provide information about physical position, and seat pressure sensors will only get better and send approximate size of occupants. The SRS and stability control data could also reveal if a car is upside down.
Privacy issues aside, you can see that there are going to be or already are functions on these vehicles that are more than a little likely to be involved in repairing collision damage. My best advice is that you need someone on staff who is gaining practical knowledge of scan tools. I guarantee this is not the last time we will discuss telematics.
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