Progress towards deployment of public eCall across Europe and Russia continues to build momentum. The national members of CEN, the European standardisation body, have voted and formally approved the standard EN16072 covering Pan-European eCall Operating Requirements.

The European Commission’s Type Approval legislation that will impact on vehicle manufacturers is not expected to provide a detailed technical description of the eCall hardware that is required to be fitted. It will require that the eCall device installed must comply with a suite of CEN, ETSI, 3GPP and ISO standards of which EN16072 is the most recent.

While the European Commission moves forward with its plans for mandating eCall in newly Type Approved models from 2015, the Russian government continues with its more aggressive schedule of implementation from 2013 for its eCall programme that includes both post-factory retrofitment and line fitment as standard equipment.

At a Brussels meeting at the end of July Ertico ITS Europe, ITS Russia and NIS, the Russian public/private partnership responsible for the ERA GLONASS eCall programme, discussed the timelines of both schemes and potential areas of cooperation. Many vehicle manufacturers at the meeting expressed concerns about the technical specifications. Legislation in Russia for ERA GLONASS has still not yet been finalised and Russia’s emergency infrastructure requires significant upgrading according to SBD’s new report eCall in Russia ~ The impact and requirements of ERA GLONASS.

“Although the Russian government has consistently talked about a 2013 launch date for ERA GLONASS, there is considerable debate within the automotive industry whether this date can be achieved,” says Stephen Longden, ITS and telematics specialist at SBD and author of the recent report Pan-European eCall ~ Responding to the legislation. “Launching a system in under two years is putting a lot of pressure on vehicle manufacturers and some sort of compromise with the NIS may emerge,” he adds.

“Despite these misgivings from the vehicle manufacturers, the Russian government says it is determined that the NIS launches an ERA GLONASS service by the end of 2013,” says Longden. “An internal review within the Russian government is expected to reassess the timetable and requirements, but the results are not expected before the end of 2011. This will put even more time pressure on vehicle manufacturers who need clarity about what to install and when.”  

To learn more about eCall in Russia ~ The impact and requirements of ERA GLONASS or to buy the report contact Alessio at ABallatore@sbd.co.uk.