BMW launches emergency eCall system

BMW has launched the world’s first motorcycle emergency call system which will send an emergency call to alert the rescue services and also help locate the accident.

The ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’ system will be made available as an option on motorcycles from the beginning of 2017 although it’s going to start in Germany before a wider roll out across Europe and the rest of the world.

The system is either automatically or manually triggered, sends out the location using satellite location data and then calls the central BMW call centre who will coordinate the emergency services. In a 2011 trial of eCall involving BMW vehicles the German company says accident response times were generally 40 to 50% faster with eCall.

There’s no word on a price for the optional eCall system at this stage.

BMW have explained some possible scenarios for the eCall system:

Scenario 1: Automatic triggering in the case of a bad fall/collision

The emergency call is automatically triggered without time delay, sending a message to a qualified BMW Call Center. The accident victim/rider is taken care of by the BMW Call Center via audio connection until the emergency service arrives. Help is sent out in any case even if there is no response. A display in the instrument cluster shows that the eCall has been initiated. An acoustic signal is also set off. In this case the rider cannot cancel the emergency call any more.

Scenario 2: Automatic triggering in the case of a minor fall/collision

In this case the emergency call is only triggered after 25 seconds before sending a message to the BMW Call Center. If no help is necessary after only a non serious accident, the accident victim/rider has the opportunity of cancelling the emergency call at the press of a button. If he does not cancel, the rescue chain is initiated as in scenario 1. A display in the instrument cluster shows that the eCall has been initiated. An acoustic signal is also set off.

Scenario 3: Manual triggering by pressing a button

In this case the eCall is triggered manually by pressing the SOS button on the right handlebar end, e.g. for calling help for other road users in need. A message is sent to the BMW Call Center and a voice connection is established. A voice connection is mandatory if the eCall was triggered manually before further measures are initiated. Here too, the accident victim/rider is also given the opportunity to cancel the emergency call at the press of a button or by turning off the ignition. The intelligent emergency call can only be triggered manually when the motorcycle is stationary with the ignition on.