What is behind E-Call and manufacturer emergency calls

The emergency e-call in many new cars ensures that rescuers and the police are automatically informed after an accident. However, some manufacturers also install their own emergency call systems. A problem?

Since April 2018, new vehicles coming onto the market have to be delivered with the E-Call emergency call system that works across Europe. This is how the EU determined it. The idea behind it: faster help in the event of accidents or other emergency situations.

“If the car detects a serious accident, for example via the airbag sensors, the e-call automatically triggers an emergency call and transmits vehicle and location data to the nearest emergency call center,” explains Markus Bach from Auto Zeitung. In an emergency, the driver can also activate the emergency call himself via an SOS button in the cockpit. A telephone connection to the nearest emergency call center is then immediately established.

Of course, all of this needs extra technology. “For this purpose, the manufacturer installs, among other things, a permanently installed SIM card and a GPS module for satellite reception,” explains Bach. If the E-Call system is activated, the mobile network is dialed into. So there is no permanent data connection, says Bach.

If there is a connection to the emergency call center, an employee will first try to contact the car occupants. That is why microphones and speakers are also part of the system. If it is determined that no one is available, the control center immediately sends an ambulance out, explains Bach.

Many manufacturers have already built the technical basis outlined into their entertainment systems and also offer breakdown, navigation or even their own emergency services. According to the ADAC, there are sometimes problems here.

“In a query last year, we found that some German car manufacturers offer their own emergency calls to their own call centers in addition to the mandatory 112 e-call,” says Arnulf Thiemel from ADAC. “Tests have shown that it can take up to a minute for such calls to be answered at all. And then the manufacturer first has to pass the accident information on to an ambulance, because only they send an ambulance and an ambulance. “

This is valuable time for the rescue workers that is being lost, Thiemel continues. But why do Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volvo and some VW models have their own emergency call systems? The manufacturers cite addressing the accident victim in their native language abroad, reception in more cellular networks and more detailed information on the course of the accident as arguments, says Thiemel.

On the other hand, there are reports from rescue coordination centers that complain that the manufacturers’ emergency call centers are sometimes not available 24 hours a day or that they transmit incorrect accident coordinates, says Thiemel. In addition, there are manufacturer emergency services that are only free for a few years and then have to be paid for. This problem does not exist with e-calls.

To ensure that the emergency call is unambiguous and that there is no risk of an emergency call being delayed or not transmitted at all, the Europe-wide 112 e-call should be sent directly to the public control centers, says Thiemel. “This direct connection should also be preset at the factory when the vehicle is delivered.”

Drivers usually do not know how their emergency calls get to the emergency call center, and diversion via the manufacturer is also not prohibited. “We criticize, however, that in most cases the driver does not have the option of setting the 112 e-call as a basic setting himself,” says Thiemel.

At Audi, BMW and Mercedes, for example, customers would have to drive extra to the workshop to switch to the pure 112 e-call, explains Thiemel. According to ADAC, German car manufacturers in particular are redirecting emergency calls via their own breakdown control centers. Most other European or Asian car companies, on the other hand, have always preset the 112 e-call, which, incidentally, can never be deactivated.

Whether a car has the e-call system can usually be seen at a glance, although there is no uniform labeling. “The vehicle then has a button labeled ‘eCall’ or, more often, ‘SOS’, either in the center console or on the headliner,” explains Markus Bach. “In case of doubt, however, it is also helpful to take a look at the logbook or ask the dealer.”

There has also been a kind of mobile e-call since 2016, which the Association of the German Insurance Industry (GDV) has launched on the market under the name Unfallmeldedienst (UMD) and sells through car insurance companies. “This is a 12-volt plug with a sensor, which is then connected to the smartphone via an app,” explains a GDV spokesman.

An emergency call via this system goes to the GDV service subsidiary (GDV-DL), which, among other things, also takes care of the central call of the insurers and the emergency telephones along the highways. This e-call retrofit solution can only be obtained as an additional option from an insurance company. If you choose this variant, you can also make your emergency call over the 4G network (LTE) or even over the new 5G network.

The E-Call, however, has only used the 2G and 3G networks so far. The 3G network (UMTS) is expected to be completely shut down by the end of 2021. But: “No car driver has to fear that his e-call will not be sent at all, because the 2G network will continue to work for years,” says Arnulf Thiemel from ADAC. The 2G network is also used for elevator emergency calls. dpa