Automotive engineers predict that one in every four vehicles will have an emergency communication system by 2000.
But two domestic luxury brands are already embracing this technology.
Ford Motor Co. has offered its Remote Emergency Satellite Cellular Unit, or RESCU, on the 1996 Lincoln Continental since February. General Motors plans to introduce its OnStar vehicle communication system this fall on most 1997 Cadillacs.
Both systems use cellular telephone and Global Positioning System satellite technology, as well as sophisticated onboard vehicle electronics. Both also route calls through customer service centers, giving car owners the option of hearing a live voice over the phone in an emergency.
The Lincoln RESCU system basically tracks the vehicle’s location and puts the driver in voice contact with an emergency response center. An onboard computer, linked to GPS via a trunk-mounted receiver, typically can pinpoint the vehicle’s location to within 100 feet.
Near Dallas, the Lincoln Security Center is operated by Westinghouse Security Systems 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Drivers can activate the system by pushing one of two buttons in the overhead console. A tow-truck icon is used to initiate a roadside assistance call, and an ambulance icon is used for emergency assistance.
When activated, the system begins to transmit the vehicle’s location, direction and speed, as well as the vehicle identification number (VIN) over the cellular phone. An operator at the center verifies the nature of the call and confirms the vehicle location. The center then relays the information to local medical, police or fire departments or to Lincoln’s roadside assistance center. If the driver cannot respond verbally, an immediate request for emergency assistance is made.
RESCU enables the response center to maintain direct voice contact with the driver until help arrives and will notify designated family contacts. In the case of roadside assistance, the center provides an estimated time of arrival and will call back to confirm that the problem has been resolved.
The RESCU hardware includes a GPS receiver in the trunk and a satellite antenna under the trunk lid, which is made of carbon-reinforced plastic to allow unimpeded reception of the satellite signal.
Lincoln said it tested the system in early 1995 with police agencies in Chicago; Baltimore; Dallas; San Francisco; Dearborn, Mich.; Missoula, Mont.; Blacksburg, Va.; and Flagstaff, Ariz. After the electronic signals and computer uplinks are made, the company said voice contact response time averaged 58 seconds, and emergency assistance response time averaged 11 minutes.
RESCU is part of a $1,995 option package that comes with a hands-free voice-activated cellular phone, a programmable garage door opener and the new run-flat SecuriTires and Pressure Alert tire sensing system developed by Michelin. The RESCU portion of the package, including the cellular phone, is valued at $1,350. The tires are sold separately but the cellular phone is not.
Cadillac’s OnStar system, which will sell for less than $1,000, without the phone, offers most of the features of RESCU and then some.
Activated by steering wheel-mounted controls, the system recognizes and responds to voice commands from the driver. Among the services it provides are:
– Emergency services, including police, fire and ambulance.
– Roadside assistance.
– Routing and location assistance.
– Automatic notification when the air bag is deployed.
– Remote door unlocking.
– Theft detection/notification and tracking of the stolen vehicle.
– Such personal services as ATM location and reservations for airlines, hotels and restaurants.
Cadillac’s OnStar Center in Farmington, Mich., responds to calls for emergency and roadside assistance in pretty much the same fashion as the Lincoln Security Center. The OnStar services can be accessed through voice commands or by pushing dedicated buttons on the cellular phone.
In an emergency, the OnStar operator verifies the vehicle’s location, alerts the nearest emergency services provider and, when possible, transfers the caller to the provider. The operator stays on the line until help arrives.
If the air bag has been deployed, a “priority one” emergency signal is sent by cellular phone to the center, which attempts to communicate with the vehicle’s occupants and, if necessary, contacts the nearest emergency services provider.
The OnStar Center can provide routing and navigation assistance if the driver wants an alternate route or is lost and needs directions.
GPS also permits the center to verify and track a stolen vehicle and provide information to the police.
One convenience feature is remote door unlocking. If you’ve locked your keys in the car, call the center on a toll-free number. The operator checks your password, then sends a cellular data call to the vehicle, instructing it to unlock itself.
“The aspect of OnStar that customers particularly liked was the fact that when they needed directions or help avoiding a traffic jam, they would get this assistance from a real live person,” said Karl Pierce, Cadillac’s assistant general sales manager.
