More telematics options coming soon

Telematics, the combination of telecommunications and computing technology, is becoming more common in the vehicles we drive, offering a variety of safety and convenience features. In our last telematics blog, we covered some new features coming to GM's OnStar system. Here, we will preview a new, competing system coming soon from Hughes Technologies.

Hughes recently gave us a demo of the system that will soon be available Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz models. Sitting in a Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with it, a company engineer started by selecting music by genre and artist by simply asking for it. The system complied, but this was small-change stuff we've seen before on the Ford Sync entertainment system. Next, he asked for a Seattle weather report. With no hesitation, the system reported it was raining. (What a surprise.)

The engineer also listened to and then replied to an e-mail by giving a spoken response, which the Hughes system repeated back to him for approval before sending.

Next up was a demo of customized personalized morning news, an example of how a user could set it up to start their daily commute. In the engineer's example, the Jeep rattled off a few stock quotes, the local weather, sports scores for a favorite team, which local gas station had the best price today, and which of three pre-programmed routes looked like it had the least traffic for the ride to work. Your own morning routine could be whatever helps get you going. Maybe it's the shortest distance to the nearest Starbucks, the joke of the day, a favorite tune for a quick sing along, or perhaps a compliment on your tie. "Good morning! My, you look sharp! By the way, the Mobil on the corner is $3.95 for a gallon of regular!" The possibilities are literally endless.

In terms of safety, Hughes engineers used the example of one Chrysler vehicle that had sixteen sensors around the car that could, among other things, determine the severity of a crash. Not only could the system automatically alert first responders after an accident, it could also tell them which part of the vehicle was hit. This could enable rescue personnel to better know what to expect upon arriving on the scene and prepare accordingly.

And then there's the whole area of the car's operation and maintenance. A telematics system can tell you all kinds of things, from low tire pressure in the right front, to why the "check engine" light is on. It can also tell you whether you should stop your car immediately or if it's OK to keep driving. Reports of the car's entire maintenance history can even be generated, you name it.

But with all this hands-free technology, we strongly remind drivers not to stop concentrating on the road ahead. Even though you're not hitting lots of buttons here, you can still be distracted by this interactive system and focus less on the car in front of you.

Welcome to the future. The word is telematics. And it's here.

--Jim Travers

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