Bosch eCall dongle turns car into lifesaver

In line with new legislation, all new passenger vehicles sold in the EU after 31 March 2018 will be fitted with an automatic “emergency call” system – eCall, for short. Vehicles will feature a standardised eCall box that automatically alerts the local emergency services via the number 112. As a result, lifesaving assistance will be able to arrive with greater speed and precision at the scene of an accident. The EU expects that eCall will save 2,500 lives each year and reduce the number of people who are seriously injured by 15 percent.

“Connecting cars offers great potential. Through the automatic eCall system, connected vehicles are now going to become lifesavers as well,” says Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

Bosch offers a retrofit eCall range featuring telematics solutions and services, so even older cars can benefit from the solution.

Rapid assistance as standard

Many people fall into a state of shock following an accident, or in accidents that are more serious can become trapped or unconscious and unable to call for help themselves. In these situations the automatic eCall system becomes critical, as it is able to automatically provide accurate location data regardless of when the accident has occurred.

“eCall places the emergency call faster than a person could and initiates the lifesaving rescue chain,” Hoheisel says.

An SOS button is also installed on the vehicle’s dash, which vehicle occupants can use to manually place the emergency call. In both cases, an audio connection is first established between the vehicle and the local emergency services team to communicate further details about the accident. If the driver does not respond, emergency responders go directly to the scene of the accident. Thanks to precise information about the location based on GPS coordinates, the emergency responders even know in which direction of travel the accident occurred. This saves valuable time, as they do not first have to turn around at the next junction to get to the scene of the accident. As a result, this enables emergency responders to arrive at the scene of the accident 40 percent faster in a city, while in rural areas, they can cut the usual response time in half.

eCall also speaks French

To assist drivers travelling internationally, the eCall service speaks 16 languages fluently, among them French, Swedish and Turkish. Unlike standard eCall, which directly notifies the local emergency services, Bosch eCall first alerts Bosch’s own emergency call centre, which is manned 24/7, 365 days a year. Based on the navigation system’s language settings, the associates on the eCall team know which language the driver speaks, which enables them to quickly enquire is how the driver doing and learn what has happened. This way, there are no communication problems, especially during a critical situation like an accident. The Bosch emergency team then coordinates all rescue operations with the local emergency services in the respective national language. These efforts make the local emergency responders’ job easier, as they know exactly what has happened and how they can specifically help. If the driver does not respond to the call from the Bosch emergency call centre, associates alert emergency responders immediately. The service is not limited to Europe, either. Bosch offers its eCall service in more than 50 countries worldwide, including in Japan, Brazil, and North America. A number of car manufacturers, such as Daimler AG, are already opting for Bosch’s multilingual eCall service.

The retrofit digital first responder for any car is simply inserted into a vehicle’s 12-volt socket (cigarette lighter), with no appointment at a garage necessary. Thanks to an integrated acceleration sensor, it registers collisions and accident severity. It uses Bluetooth to send this information to the corresponding app on the driver’s smartphone, which in turn alerts the service centre of the vehicle insurers’ accident switchboard. Even with the retrofit solution, an audio connection is first established with the driver. If the driver does not respond, emergency responders are immediately dispatched to the scene of the accident.

For motorcycles as well

Motorcyclists are among the road users most at risk: for riders, the risk of being killed in an accident is 18 times higher than for drivers. In light of this, Bosch is developing eCall not only for cars, but also for two-wheelers. A special CCU for motorcycles captures the bike’s operating data, which it uses to detect accidents. Thanks to an integrated GPS module, the exact location of the accident is transmitted to the emergency services call centre.

Communications
Phone: +44 (0) 1895 83 8822
communications@uk.bosch.com