Patented by TRACKER, the unique "Transient Voltage Detection" (TVD) technology has been incorporated into TRACKER Fleet, to help businesses to significantly improve fuel efficiency and reduce fleet operating costs.  

Stephen Doran, managing director of TRACKER, explained:  ‘Fuel consumption is a key issue for businesses, but the ability to accurately determine when a journey truly starts or an engine’s running time, journey times and average speeds have all been notoriously difficult.   This hasn’t been helped by the fact that vehicle electrical systems have become more complex and in turn, harder to find the right place to connect the ignition sensor.    Our engineers have designed a way to overcome this by sensing the electrical noise that is generated when an engine is running.’

Traditionally, fleet tracking units have been connected to a vehicle by using two wires to connect to the vehicle battery and a third wire to connect to the vehicle ignition switch.  When the ignition is turned on or off, and therefore the vehicle has started or stopped, journey information is recorded and reported to fleet managers.  The new TVD technology from TRACKER eliminates the need to connect a third wire to the vehicle ignition switch. 

Instead TVD technology will sense any increase in voltage and, more importantly, electrical noise associated with the engine having started.  This is noise that is generated by electronic systems in the vehicle such as the alternator.   This means TRACKER’s fleet telematics offering will automatically and accurately detect through the two wires to the vehicle supply, when the vehicle engine has started and stopped.

‘TVD technology gives a true reflection of idle time, critical for many fleet operators.  Previously idle times would be generated even if the ignition switch was set to ‘accessory’, for example to listen to the radio.  In this scenario the fleet managers got a notification that the vehicle has started, even though it hadn’t, with the idle measurement starting at that point.  With TVD we won’t have that margin of error, allowing us to always give customers the most accurate idle time,’ continued Mr Doran.

Businesses need access to the best quality data in order to gain a complete picture of the fuel usage and consumption of their fleet.  This latest enhancement to TRACKER Fleet has put businesses back in control of their fleet by realistically monitoring vehicles and drivers to help them reduce fuel costs.  What’s more, by implementing the latest technology, TRACKER has been able to take advantage of significant cost reductions, without compromising on performance, to provide a quality product at a highly competitive price. 

He concluded:  ‘This new technology is part of our ongoing march in developing new telematics solutions that will shake up how companies monitor the efficiency of their fleet, at a time when they need it most.’