Motorola Inc. announced an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to incorporate a telematics system called
TeleAid into all 2000 model Mercedes-Benz S-class sedans in North America.
The new system will be based on
Motorola’s Telematics Communication Unit, which consists of global positioning system, cellular voice and data
technologies, the company said.
TeleAid is a module installed in the rearview mirror of the car with one button to
connect immediately to emergency services, roadside assistance and customer service personnel,
respectively.
Motorola’s telematics’ group in November created the BMW Mayday phone for all vehicle models
made by BMW North America Inc., but was an after-market product customers could have added to their cars for
$1,200.
The Mercedes-Benz TeleAid product, on the other hand, will be built in to all 2000 S-Class sedans and will
be included in the vehicle’s sticker price.
TeleAid’s “SOS” button establishes an immediate voice
connection with Protection One, a call center contracted by Mercedes-Benz that can alert police or other emergency
services. Initiating transmission via the SOS button also sends the car’s location to the call center, as well as specific
information about the driver and a description of the car. The system automatically will make this call for the driver if
the airbag was to deploy.
Another button, marked with a wrench symbol, creates a connection to the Mercedes-Benz
Roadside Assistance center. The last button, marked with an “i”, connects the driver to the Mercedes-Benz
Client Assistance Center.
This is the latest in a series of announcements from Motorola’s Telematics
Communication Group. The unit was formed in October specifically to combine the various technologies needed for
telematics systems into one group. It is the merging of several Motorola units and development efforts, including
telematics hardware and software, wireless connection products, GPS products and information and entertainment
software and servers.
