eCall project published by the EC

After one year of development, the final report corresponding to the project “Study on the inclusion of eCall in the periodic roadworthiness testing of motor vehicles” (identification N° MOVE/C2/2017-282 – SI2.772101) – contracted by the European Commission, Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, to the consortium led by CITA and formed by FSD and VIAS, with the involvement of IERC – is been published.

This report assesses the inclusion of eCall in vehicle inspection schemes: the eCall is the emergency call system mandatory for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in the European Union since 2018, with the aim of reducing the rescue time in case of crash (eCall automatically sends emergency services data on the position and direction of the vehicle in case of an accident).

Vehicles degrade over the time and may be subject to tampering, therefore it is advisable to analyse the suitability of incorporating the assessment of the proper functioning of eCall systems all along the life of the vehicle.

So, the aim of this study is to assess whether it is cost-effective to include eCall within the frame of the periodical inspection scheme of the European Union and, in the case of a positive answer, to recommend which is the most efficient procedure. This study analyses also the legal framework, the technical definition of eCall, the possibilities of breakdowns and the options of inspections.

Because of the lack of data, the cost and benefit analysis includes neither the benefit of the reduction of false alarms (wrong calls to the emergency services), nor the costs of tampering. Benefit: cost ratio must be higher if those concepts would be included.

More information can been found here: https://publications.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/c6524bd7-2b54-11e9-8d04-01aa75ed71a1