Telematics?

We need to get training and sharpen our skills on the body and chassis electric side, because struts and brakes are going to remain four-per-car, but telematics are growing.

As an automotive journalist, I occasionally get to take a look at upcoming automotive technologies before they hit the street at media events we call “ride and drives”. I took in one recently at the Pontiac Silverdome arranged by auto parts giant Delphi, and if the stuff they rolled out is an indication of the future, our business is going to change in some pretty radical ways. I’m talking about what the industry call “telematics”, or in technician’s language, “gadgets”. Think the current crop of vehicles are loaded with power assists? The near future will see some things that would make Buck Rogers wonder. An example was a driver alertness system that scans the driver’s eyes as he or she drives and calculates where the driver is looking. Add inputs like speed, steering angle and GPS position, and the system can infer that the driver is overtired and not paying attention. It reacts by advising the driver using some form of onStar-like two way communication system and booking a room at a nearby motel. Distracted? The system could turn down the stereo or cut off the cell phone while the vehicle is moving. And how about wireless download of a rental movie at a gas bar while you fill up? It plays through a back seat monitor to keep the kids busy during long drives.

How about four wheel steering? Quadrasteer isn’t new, but Delphi has linked it to a stability control system that allows an idiot driver to slam the brakes with two wheels on an icy shoulder without losing control. And imagine all-electric brakes. They stop shorter and feel (to my foot at least) just like hydraulics. One system that impressed me was a radar backup alarm that warns of errant children or objects with a warning light and audio tone as the driver backs up. Backup alarms have been done before, but this system is precise, and is sealed into an all-in-one paperback-sized box in the rear bumper. Very easy to replace.

New forms of variable valve timing, power door and hatch assists and of course the DS 800 handheld service tool were poked and prodded by the assembled journalists. If there’s a point to this diatribe, it’s this: Much of this new technology has little to do with making a vehicle go, turn and stop. A lot of it is designed for convenience or entertainment. And as it slowly becomes the dominant dollar-value component of new cars, it all represents your future profitability if you can service the systems. Delphi is one of a number of companies working on telematics, and they sell to any manufacturer, so it’s unlikely that the technology will be a guarded manufacturer’s secret. We need to get training and sharpen our skills on the body and chassis electric side, because struts and brakes are going to remain four-per-car, but telematics are growing. We might as well get a piece of the action.