Vehicle manufacturers gave attendees at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 the first sightings of their eCall solutions developed in response to the European Commission’s pledge to mandate fitment in newly Type Approved models from 2015.
Other trends at Frankfurt were expanded availability of active safety systems, apps for eco-driving and electric vehicles and the use of NFC for automotive applications.
Both Ford and Mercedes-Benz discussed eCall systems based on using the driver’s mobile phone linked via Bluetooth to the vehicle to act as the communications link. Officials at both carmakers said they are opting for a non-embedded Bluetooth solution as it reduces the cost of the system.
In addition to an eCall solution, the new Mercedes-Benz B-Class featured a wide variety of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) including attention assist as standard, intelligent speed adaptation based on road sign recognition and automatic braking. A package providing lane keeping assistance and blind spot assistance is set to be priced €700.
Low speed automatic city emergency braking systems were on show fitted to the new Fiat Panda, Mazda CX-5 and VW Touareg. The Fiat system automatically performs an emergency stop below 30 km/h if an obstacle is detected ahead. The Fiat and VW Up! city braking systems confirm the trend towards offering ADAS in mass market models identified in SBD’s report Kickstarting the mass market for ADAS.
Eco-driving apps were a trend at the Frankfurt IAA with solutions offered by Fiat and Toyota. The Fiat eco:Drive Mobile app sends data on vehicle driving performance to drivers via their mobile phones and allows them to share eco-driving tips via social networks. The Toyota Yaris Touch&Go Glass of Water app encourages drivers to drive smoothly and hence save fuel.
Electric Vehicle (EV) smartphone apps providing information on vehicle battery status and location of charging stations were discussed for the Opel Ampera, Renault, Smart and Volvo C30 Electric.
Delphi demonstrated its smart key which uses Near-Field Communication (NFC) to store vehicle data onto the key’s memory, which can later be transferred to an NFC-enabled smartphone for viewing and analysis. This will include features such as eco-driving tips and statistics such as average speed, fuel economy and driving style when vehicle manufacturers implement the system. The NFC key system can be used to transfer a destination from a smartphone to the vehicle navigation system.
Interested in learning more about ADAS in mass market models? Contact Alessio at ABallatore@sbd.co.uk to learn more or to buy the report Kickstarting the mass market for ADAS.