Select 2016 model Chevrolet Silverado and Silverado HD pickup models are expected to be offered with a new “prognostic” maintenance capability provided via the vehicle’s OnStar 4G LTE onboard wireless network in combination with fleet management services offered by Telogis.
Called Proactive Alerts and unveiled by General Motors back in April, the service combines OnStar’s RemoteLink feature with Telogis’ fleet maintenance tools to track vehicle destination, speed and, fuel economy, engine hours, idle time and oil change status.
Alicia Boler-Davis, GM’s senior VP for global connected customer experience, noted in a statement that Telogis’ tools are linked in via OnStar’s remote application programming interfaces, bypassing the need for costly hardware installations in each vehicle.
“Using our OnStar 4G LTE connectivity platform, we can actively monitor vehicle component health and notify our customers if covered vehicle components need attention,” she said.
Boler-Davis explained that the system works by sending vehicle data via OnStar’s secure servers and then applying proprietary algorithms to assess whether certain conditions could impact vehicle performance. If a component – such as a battery – is determined in need of replacement, notifications are then sent to customers via email, text message, in-vehicle alerts or through the OnStar RemoteLink smartphone application.
One reason that Silverado pickups are being eyed as one of the initial GM platforms to feature Proactive Alerts package is that nearly 99% of Silverado owners with access to OnStar 4G LTE connectivity active that system by agreeing to its terms and conditions, according to the OEM.
On top of that, when using the smartphone app, Remote Start and Vehicle Diagnostics are the top two most-used features by Silverado owners, noted Jeff Luke, executive chief engineer for Silverado, in a statement.
“It’s not surprising, then, that Silverado owners would take full advantage of RemoteLink’s ability to keep tabs on the health of their Silverado,” he said.
GM added that this predictive maintenance technology is initially focused on the battery, starter motor and fuel pump – components all critical to starting and keeping a vehicle running. Additional vehicle parts and components are expected to be added in future model years, the OEM said.
GM pointed out that in addition to select 2016 Silverado and Silverado HD pickups, Proactive Alert is expected to be available on select 2016 Chevrolet Equinox, Tahoe, Suburban, and Corvette models equipped with certain powertrains, followed by more Chevrolet vehicles throughout the 2016 model year.
