Tata Motors trucks undergo smart transformation

Vehicles now have telematics, through which fleet owners can track their movement, and get information about fuel consumption and mileage

Vehicle-maker Tata Motors on Friday said it has been evolving its medium-heavy trucks as smart vehicles over a period of time and will be powering all future launches in this segment with telematics.

"We have already rolled out some of the vehicles using telematics and going forward all our medium-heavy trucks will be powered by it," the company's business head of intermediate, medium and heavy trucks, Rajesh Kaul, told media persons here on the sidelines of a truck expo organised by the company.

The technology will be available free-of-cost to the buyers and subscription charges for the first three years of vehicle use will be waived.

Telematics -- a combination of the words telecommunications and informatics in the branch of information technology -- deals with the long-distance transmission of computerised information.

"This technology connects to the electronic control unit of the vehicle. Fleet-owners will be able to use telematics not only to track their vehicle's movement, but also get information about fuel consumption and mileage, among other things," he said.

Kaul said this equipment and solution will be able to cut down fuel-theft dramatically.

While the telematics unit now comes pre-installed in some truck models, it is also available in the market for Rs.10,000 as an accessory.

"A fee of Rs.5,500 is charged every year for subscription. This device from our company can work only in our trucks," said Sanjay Gupta, head of the telematics division at Tata Motors.

He said the subscription fee is levied on users as there is data transmission and processing that is involved in the process besides constant use of the global positioning system technology.

However, it does not have any immediate plans of using this technology in light commercial vehicles.

"Most of the light truck owners do not need to track their vehicles as they themselves drive it. At this moment, we are not considering introducing it in the lighter trucks," Gupta said.

The vehicle-maker has tied up with a Britain-based technology firm to take the project forward.