The idea of the connected car has been around for a while now. Newly manufactured cars are coming with increasingly added features to improve the driving experience, and to collect information. Many vehicle and equipment manufacturers (Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEM) like Ford, General Motors, Volvo and John Deere are building telematics solutions directly into their vehicles. Telematics provider Geotab is working with many of these OEM partners to allow clients to take advantage of these embedded telematics solutions. This gives clients the flexibility to use both OEM-enabled vehicles and GO devices to manage fleets from one dashboard.

This is great news for mixed fleets, but there are some differences to consider before implementing OEM embedded telematics. Depending on the data you want to collect, or the operational capabilities your vehicles need, the Geotab GO device still may be the way to go. Let’s look at the main differences and benefits between the OEM embedded telematics solution and Geotab’s GO device.

There are several differences between embedded telematics and Geotab GO devices:

• The OEM embedded telematics solution is built-in so there’s no installation necessary! Since the hardware is already installed there are no installation costs for users.
• For eligible vehicles, the time to provision and activate the embedded solution can take hours. With the current shortage of semiconductors related to the global pandemic, this can be a significant time-saving advantage.
• Vehicles with OEM embedded telematics solutions have a reduced chance of device tampering from vehicle operators. This can help ensure reporting up-time and reduce administrative overhead.
• No installation time also means that your vehicles are going to be available – reducing any vehicle downtime.

Geotab GO devices offer more features and capabilities for certain fleets:

Depending on your business needs, these advantages alone can make the OEM solution extremely appealing. But if your fleet requires specific data or detailed activity tracking for public works operations, the Geotab GO device continues to offer more features that may better fit your telematics needs, including:

• A wide arrange of expansion options through Geotab’s IOX technology, cameras, and sensors as well as Geotab’s flexible SDK (Software Development Kit).
• Geotab’s advanced curve algorithm and sophisticated accelerometer.
• Advanced telematics solutions including public works and winter operations management.

The great news for clients is that you’re not limited to using the GO device or an OEM embedded telematics product. Clients can use both in the same database while keeping a consistent user experience through MyGeotab. Our advice is to use the solution that best meets your fleet management needs. If you’re interested in learning if the Geotab OEM embedded telematics solution is right for your fleet, contact Northern BI! We help businesses solve their fleet management challenges every day with our customized training and services.