- New vehicle units for use in the German truck toll system
- Integral part of the automatic accounting process
- Connectivity platform with significantly extended computing and memory capacity
Bosch now supplies a new generation of on-board units (OBU) for the satellite-based truck toll system in Germany. The new units calculate the toll for trucks with a total weight of more than twelve tons on some 13,000 kilometers of German autobahns and another 1,000 kilometers of four-lane national highways. They have been in operation since January 2013 and are gradually replacing older toll unit models. Thus, over the coming three years, the stock of vehicle units will be modernized and adapted to the market demand expected in the future. Some 26,000 units have been installed in heavy goods vehicles since the beginning of the year.
The new on-board unit is based on a high-powered connectivity platform recently developed by the Bosch Car Multimedia division with an integrated satellite-supported locating function and GSM mobile communication. The new 1-DIN slot units have been equipped with significantly greater computing and memory capacity, which will also be able to meet the technical requirements of the future.
The on-board unit integrated into the vehicle is the key element in the automatic log-in process. With the help of GPS satellite signals (Global Positioning System) and other sensors, it determines the current position of the vehicle, uses a special map to identify the route sections traveled, calculates the amount of the toll and supplies this data in encrypted form to a computing center via mobile communications at regular intervals.
The Bosch Car Multimedia division has already been supplying innovative solutions for telematics systems in commercial vehicles for more than ten years. This includes modern applications for the fleet management of trucks and trailers as well as systems for online vehicle diagnosis and the administration of large vehicle fleets. Electronic toll collection can now be added to this range of services.
