Originally coined in 1978 by Simon Nora and Alain Minc in a report to the French government, “telematics” originated as “télématique,” a combination of the words “telecommunications” and “informatique.” While now we view the term telematics as meaning technologies in vehicle communications, it started as a much broader term that involved long-distance communication of data, but has evolved rapidly to what it is today.
From that point in the 1970s, the connected car has made significant strides within our industry. The topic was elevated quickly to one of great importance, with programs like DRIVE I and II (Dedicated Road Infrastructure for Vehicle Safety in Europe) ending in 1992 and 1995, respectively, both within the “Telematics Services of General Interest” program, and the 1992 treaty in Europe, “Treaty on European Union in Maastricht,” which promoted the strength and competitiveness of telematics companies in the world market through common policies. The treaty especially called for a push in research and development where telematics was at the forefront.
Europe, however, was far from the only country pushing the topic. At the same time, the United States would begin a movement for what was known as Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS), first by a group called Mobility 2000, which led to IVHS America, founded in 1990. In 1996, OnStar Corp., a subsidiary of General Motors, would bring its technologies to the Chicago Auto Show, and deliver its first product within 11 months. Continuing with the advent of GPS systems for the regular day-to-day customer in the 2000s, now we are talking about topics ranging from safety programs to fully autonomous cars.
Today, telematics is one of the hot topics of the year, with industry events such as AAPEX spotlighting many of the advances, and many of the news headlines of this year cover the subject.
Thus, we present you with the most-read telematics stories of the year on aftermarketNews, as ranked by Google Analytics.
