Possible Telematics Module

[IanNubbit]

Prepare to be disappointed. Slate’s response included a direct reference to a Telematics module, wherein the OP never mentioned anything about it. In my opinion, Jimmy the Slate agent just let the cat out of the bag. Good thing he added, “we’ll know more as we get closer to production.”

I’m not sure that’s the case. They have already specifically said updates will be done via the phone, meaning it won’t have telematics

 

[GaRailroader]

Preconditioning via the fob is an important feature.

I wonder how preconditioning with a FOB would work. In Atlanta, I might have had the AC on when I parked the truck yesterday but have woken up to frost on my windows and want to press a button on the fob to defrost the car while I'm getting ready to leave for work. How does it know whether the preconditioning is AC, heat or defrost?

 

[IanNubbit]

I wonder how preconditioning with a FOB would work. In Atlanta, I might have had the AC on when I parked the truck yesterday but have woken up to frost on my windows and want to press a button on the fob to defrost the car while I'm getting ready to leave for work. How does it know whether the preconditioning is AC, heat or defrost?

Pretty much all vehicles already account for this, even manual temp controls like the Slate. Just uses interior (basically every vehicle has this but not needed) and exterior temp (almost positive EVERY vehicle has this, absolutely if it’s an ICE vehicle) and adjusts as needed

 

[Luxrage]

I wonder how preconditioning with a FOB would work. In Atlanta, I might have had the AC on when I parked the truck yesterday but have woken up to frost on my windows and want to press a button on the fob to defrost the car while I'm getting ready to leave for work. How does it know whether the preconditioning is AC, heat or defrost?

If it's anything like the remote start in my friend's Plymouth Neon back in the early 00s, it'll all come down to whatever you set the HVAC to prior to getting out of the vehicle.

That being said, I doubt the HVAC controls in the Slate are anything more than digital knobs controlling electric blend doors so it wouldn't be hard to have the Slate's programming set to a 'default' middle between hot/cold w/ AC on whenever precondition / remote start is used. The only thing that complicates that is the heat is a separate on/off button, not just where you set traditional blend doors.

 

[IanNubbit]

If it's anything like the remote start in my friend's Plymouth Neon back in the early 00s, it'll all come down to whatever you set the HVAC to prior to getting out of the vehicle.

That being said, I doubt the HVAC controls in the Slate are anything more than digital knobs controlling electric blend doors so it wouldn't be hard to have the Slate's programming set to a 'default' middle between hot/cold w/ AC on whenever precondition / remote start is used. The only thing that complicates that is the heat is a separate on/off button, not just where you set traditional blend doors.

It’s fully digital, so no matter what the setting are, the vehicle has the ability to do literally anything with no relation to the head unit controls. Now once the door opens (or Jeeps terrible design, until you adjust setting) it will go back to the user settings, since then the user is “know inside” the vehicle and “wants control”

 

[KevinRS]

This is another thing we won't know yet, my guess would be digital rotary encoders, like often used on car radios now, where the knob spins around and around, no mark on it, and you feel the resistance at each step when you turn it. These knobs basically signal +1 each movement of a certain number of degrees, and -1 when you rotate the other direction. You can't for example turn the volume to max on the radio when it's powered off, it always comes on in the same state it turned off at.
The one issue is the prototypes and renders we have seen do appear to have marks on the knobs that would indicate the absolute position of the knob matters. Maybe that's just because it's preproduction, or maybe preconditioning will ignore the knob position.

 

[IanNubbit]

This is another thing we won't know yet, my guess would be digital rotary encoders, like often used on car radios now, where the knob spins around and around, no mark on it, and you feel the resistance at each step when you turn it. These knobs basically signal +1 each movement of a certain number of degrees, and -1 when you rotate the other direction. You can't for example turn the volume to max on the radio when it's powered off, it always comes on in the same state it turned off at.
The one issue is the prototypes and renders we have seen do appear to have marks on the knobs that would indicate the absolute position of the knob matters. Maybe that's just because it's preproduction, or maybe preconditioning will ignore the knob position.

The basic radio Jeeps have the absolute position knobs with an indicator, it still ignores it on remote and extremely cold starts

 

[EV Trek]

Remote start via a fob does not require a cellular connection, remote start via an app does

Looks like the Fob has a remote start button on it, but I don’t know if that would pre condition the battery, and on the HVAC it probably defaults to whatever you left the controls set to.

 

[Txsrooster]

Wonder if a custom solution would be better, could someone build a complete car computer that had LTE in it and have the ability to precondition?

 

[Saint Alban]

Wonder if a custom solution would be better, could someone build a complete car computer that had LTE in it and have the ability to precondition?

What’s the difference between that and the telematics module option?

 

[Txsrooster]

What’s the difference between that and the telematics module option?

It just depends on if the telematics module will provide internet access for a small computer to run navigation, and entertainment. I don't want to have to pay twice for telematics and access for another computer. If that makes sense.

 

[Saint Alban]

It just depends on if the telematics module will provide internet access for a small computer to run navigation, and entertainment. I don't want to have to pay twice for telematics and access for another computer. If that makes sense.

Oh, I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I don’t think it will act as a hotspot. It was only explained to enable you to access the vehicle through the app from your phone. That would be great if it did provide internet access. That would make having a tablet more feasible because that way you wouldn’t also need internet service on the tablet itself. I think now I’m getting what you’re saying lol

 

[Txsrooster]

Oh, I’m not entirely sure what you mean, but I don’t think it will act as a hotspot. It was only explained to enable you to access the vehicle through the app from your phone. That would be great if it did provide internet access. That would make having a tablet more feasible because that way you wouldn’t also need internet service on the tablet itself. I think now I’m getting what you’re saying lol

Sometimes the translation from brain to mouth/fingers isn't the best in my world.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I wonder how preconditioning with a FOB would work. In Atlanta, I might have had the AC on when I parked the truck yesterday but have woken up to frost on my windows and want to press a button on the fob to defrost the car while I'm getting ready to leave for work. How does it know whether the preconditioning is AC, heat or defrost?

This is a feature on my Lightning and my X5 that I enjoyed. I either set it to be ready at the same time every work day (precondition the battery and the interior), or fired it up via phone from inside the house. I simply set the interior temp to 70F and it started 15 minutes before my departure. It is a creature comfort but also helps keep the batteries happy. The key is that it adapted the interior climate however was necessary to hit my 70F bogey.

 

[kvermeer]

Preconditioning via the fob is an important feature.

If preconditioning requires a Telematics Module that would be severely disappointing.

Preconditioning is a critical feature. It doesn't have to be through the fob, it could be through the app with a wired USB connection to the vehicle, it could be (my preference) through a few button presses on the wheel/instrument panel screen menu, it could be through a 10m range Bluetooth radio connection (though I know some will object) to the app, but it has to be possible. If it's only over a cellular data connection and subscription through the telematics module, that's a catastrophic fail.

If that's the only way possible, I'll buy a telematics module break out my oscilloscope, reverse engineer the communications packets, and build y'all a local module.