e-call from April 2018, Galileo & EGNOS

[.jg.]

From April 2018, new cars sold in the EU are required to have e-call - a system that will automatically call the emergency services if something bad happens to the car e.g. airbags deployed or emergency button pressed. Data sent to the emergency services includes the car's current location. Part of the definition requires that e-call systems must be compatible with Galileo and EGNOS. I was wondering if anyone knows how Tesla plans to implement this?

AFAIK, Tesla's navigation uses GPS modules from Swiss manufacturer U-blox, which can use any of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou and are also compatible with augmentation systems like WAAS and EGNOS. However, the availability of these features is determined by the car manufacturer. It would be nice if Tesla chose to provide e-call through a software update, enabling more GNSS and augmentation systems.

Does anyone have any information about this?

 

[Tozz]

I have a MS100D from May. I just read a little bit about eCall requirements, and I think my Tesla does not adhere to the requirements. Please correct me when I'm wrong.

From what I read from this URL:

http://ec.europa.eu/DocsRoom/documents/5601/attachments/1/translations/en/renditions/native

Is that there is a requirement to have a physical button to initiate an eCall. Maybe I'm blind, but I haven't been able to find such a button?

 

[.jg.]

It is my understanding that eCall is supposed to be activated either via an SOS button or automatically (airbags deployed, car upside down, etc.).
However.... The relevant regulation is here: Regulation (EU) 2015/758. Reading this regulation carefully, it seems that it applies to new EU Type Approvals issued after 31 March 2018, not (as several news articles have stated) all new cars sold or registered in the EU after this date. As your MS100D and other current Tesla models sold in the EU will likely have type approvals issued before 31 March 2018, I guess they are not obliged to have eCall.
Still, I am hoping that Tesla implements eCall and ERA‑GLONASS through software updates, as I am under the impression that the exisiting GNSS modules (u-blox M6 series for MCU1 cars, u-blox M8 series for MCU2 cars) might be able to meet the eCall and ERA‑GLONASS requirements e.g. using Galileo and GLONASS, in addition to GPS and using SBAS).