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Following the April 1 entry into force of the European eCall regulation, requiring all new car and light van types sold in the EU to be fitted with the emergency systems, Swedish automobile manufacturer Volvo Cars has taken the lead as the first car-maker to equip its vehicles with eCall.

The eCall device in the Volvo vehicles is manufactured by ACTIA Nordic in Sweden and has been successfully tested by NavCert´s eCall Laboratory in Germany. The readiness of automotive suppliers and technical services to equip the vehicles was partially due to actions taken by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, who launched a testing campaign and produced a joint report containing a set of guidelines to facilitate the implementation of eCall testing in compliance with the EU Regulation.

Safer roads for drivers

Cars equipped with eCall, which takes advantage of the precise positioning offered by European GNSS (EGNOS and Galileo) to quickly alert emergency services in the event of a road accident, use the same location source as for their in-vehicle navigation systems. In Europe alone, around 50 000 cars on the road are already enabled with Galileo satellite navigation capability and this is expected to rise to over 150 000 by the end of this year.

Read this: eCall emergency alert system launched

“Bringing the benefits of space technology to end users has always been a core aim of the GSA’s market development efforts. We are very happy to see Volvo leading the way in leveraging the precision offered by the European space programs EGNOS and Galileo to make Europe’s roads safer for drivers,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said.

What is eCall?

eCall devices automatically dial the European emergency number 112 to alert rescue services in the event of an accident. The system sends the exact location to responders, along with the time of the incident and the direction of travel, even if the driver is unconscious or unable to make a phone call, thereby reducing the response time for road accidents and saving more lives. An eCall can also be triggered manually by pushing a button in the car, for example by a witness to a serious accident.

eCall only transmits data that is absolutely necessary when an accident occurs. Information only leaves the car in the event of a severe accident and is not stored any longer than necessary.

It is estimated that eCall will speed up emergency response times by 40% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside and reduce the number of fatalities by at least 4% and the number of severe injuries by 6%. You can find more information about eCall here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).

Four new Galileo satellites were successfully launched from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on July 25, bringing the constellation to a total of 26 satellites, thereby enabling the provision of a more precise signal across a range of services.

Galileo's 10th launch, and the 3rd in a row with the European Ariane 5 launcher, lifted off at 13:25 CEST on Arianespace’s Flight VA244 from Ariane Launch Complex No. 3 (ELA 3). With this launch the Galileo constellation comes one step closer to full operational capability, expected in 2020.

GSA and the Early Orbit Phase (EOP)

For the second time, the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is responsible for the Early Orbit Phase (EOP) of this mission, overseeing Spaceopal - a joint venture between Telespazio and DLR-GfR - in their role as Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) and EOP Mission Director, and CNES as EOP Operations Director. The EOP is one of the most important phases of a space mission during which the spacecraft is launched and put into the correct orbit and the first satellite elements are gradually switched on and tested.

“Today is an excellent opportunity to celebrate what Europe can achieve when resources, competences and commitments are brought together,” GSA Executive Director Carlo des Dorides said immediately after the launch. “Yet the success of Galileo is not measured by the number of satellites, but by the number of users, and here too we have achieved remarkable results. In the past 18 months, Galileo has moved from zero to 400 million users,” he said.

A unique European achievement

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, called Galileo “a unique European achievement” and said that the latest launch would give both Galileo and the EU full worldwide coverage.

“It is now up to us - the GSA, and all our partners, to lead this revolution by working together across institutions and disciplines to overcome challenges and bring space closer to Earth, added des Dorides. “Because, we have proven once again that the sky is not the limit.”

About Galileo

Galileo is the EU’s Global Satellite Navigation System and has been providing positioning and timing services to around 400 million users since the launch of Initial Services in December 2016. It is a civilian system under civilian control and aims to ensure Europe’s independence from the other satellite navigation systems and its strategic autonomy in satellite navigation. Europe’s independence in this sector will help boost the European job market, ensure a more secure Union and support emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and automated vehicles.

For more information on the launch, click here.

Media note: This feature can be republished without charge provided the European GNSS Agency (GSA) is acknowledged as the source at the top or the bottom of the story. You must request permission before you use any of the photographs on the site. If you republish, we would be grateful if you could link back to the GSA website (http://www.gsa.europa.eu).