OnStar announces Remote Ignition Block for stolen vehicles
OnStar already has anti-theft features like Stolen Vehicle Slowdown to fight back when your General Motors vehicle has been ripped off. Beefing up the arsenal, OnStar has a new trick: Remote Ignition Block. When an OnStar subscriber reports a vehicle stolen and authorities confirm, Remote Ignition Block uses GPS to ping the car and prevent it from starting.
The service will be available on two million cars, and the hope is that it will help you get your lifted Chevrolet Camaro back before it winds up on World's Wildest Police Chases. There's always the danger that a perp will trash the car anyway when it becomes unresponsive, but at least that's not as risky to innocent bystanders as a full-on pursuit. OnStar officials say they have seen good response to this latest new service. 97% of current subscribers surveyed apparently would like the new function, although it remains to be seen how many of those interested parties will convert into actual customers. Press release after the jump.
[Source: OnStar]
PRESS RELEASE
OnStar Launches Industry-Exclusive Technology to Help with Safe and Quick Recovery of Stolen Vehicles
DETROIT (July 21, 2009) – OnStar is expanding on its Stolen Vehicle Assistance services with the announcement of a new technology that will give law enforcement another critical tool to help safely and quickly recover subscribers stolen vehicles.
This new technology is called Remote Ignition Block and will allow an OnStar Advisor to send a remote signal to a subscriber's stolen vehicle to prevent the vehicle from restarting once the ignition is turned off. This capability will not only help authorities recover stolen vehicles, but can also prevent dangerous high speed pursuits from starting.
"Remote Ignition Block is a prime example of the rapid pace of technological innovation underway at OnStar. We are developing services desired by our subscribers that deliver important societal benefits as well," said Chet Huber, OnStar president.
Remote Ignition Block builds on OnStar's growing suite of Stolen Vehicle Assistance services which includes GPS technology that pinpoints a stolen vehicle's exact location and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown® which can remotely slow a stolen vehicle to idle speed.
OnStar will make Remote Ignition Block available on select over 2M GM 2009 and 2010 model year vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
The process for deployment:
An OnStar subscriber reports their vehicle stolen to authorities and requests stolen vehicle assistance from OnStar.
Law enforcement provides confirmation to the OnStar Advisor that the vehicle is in fact stolen.
The OnStar Advisor pinpoints the vehicle's exact GPS location and sends a remote signal to prevent stolen vehicle from starting the next time someone attempts to start it.
On select models, authorities can also request Stolen Vehicle Slowdown if they have a clear line of sight of the stolen vehicle and confirm that conditions are safe to slow down the vehicle.
"Technology like Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and now Remote Ignition Block will improve the chances of apprehending suspected car thieves and are great assets to the law enforcement community" said Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. "Removing an instrument of harm from the hands of criminals improves the safety of our officers, our highways and our citizens" said Bouchard.
For more than 13 years, OnStar has helped authorities in locating tens of thousands of stolen vehicles in order to assist with their safe and quick recovery. OnStar receives approximately 600 Stolen Vehicle Assistance requests from subscribers each month and has helped in over 28,000 requests over the past decade.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports, there were 1,095,769 vehicles stolen in the U.S. in 2007, equating to one motor vehicle stolen every 28.8 seconds. Stolen vehicle incidents can turn into dangerous high speed pursuits; at least 300 people die as a result of the more than 30,000 high speed police chases that happen every year. With capabilities such as Stolen Vehicle Slowdown and now Remote Ignition Block, OnStar subscribers have the added peace of mind knowing their vehicle can be prevented from being used as an instrument of harm. In fact, 97% of OnStar subscribers surveyed said they would like Remote Ignition Block capability on their vehicles.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
henrykrinkle 10:41AM (7/21/2009)
Some GM cars already have this feature and you don't even have to report it stolen ;)
Zing!
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Frank 10:41AM (7/21/2009)
My anti-theft device is a 5 speed stick. :-) But this would be a nice thing to have.
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BigMcLargeHuge 10:45AM (7/21/2009)
'Remote Ignition Block' kinda sounds like something used with plastique explosives.
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Bert 10:45AM (7/21/2009)
Another reason not to get OnStar!
If someone steals my car I don't want to see it again. Yes, I know insurance companies want to see it again. But we all know the problems that come from stolen cars, burnt clutches, brakes, accident damage, etc. Insurance companies never step up to the plate to back up,
If my car 2 year old car is stolen is front end smashed, because the rad, AC system is touched my warranty / extended warranty is no longer valid, especially if the job is not done by a dealer. No insurance pays out for the depreciation associated to the words "accidented vehicle" in a used car ad or Carfax report.
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Bob H. 10:53AM (7/21/2009)
Now if it would only bolt the doors shut and set of the emergency flashers that would interest me. As someone who has had their car "lifted" the real desire on the owner is to catch the thief ...hopefully while I could still see the car..and the culprits ..the car is probably toast anyway....
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Tikki 1:29PM (7/21/2009)
you forgot to add stop the car and then deploy all the airbags, turn the radio on full blast to random country station, and if the vehicle has heated seats crank them on full blast along with the heat, make it a sweat box.
why not the LS2LS7? 10:55AM (7/21/2009)
Seems like a feature more useful for bank repos than in real life. Can I demand all this stuff be deactivated?
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tuxchown 1:39PM (7/21/2009)
You don't have to pay for OnStar service if you don't want it.
Richard S. 2:41PM (7/21/2009)
Actually this is great for bank repos. If all those with bad credit would agreed to a remotely-activated ignition block that is activated when payment is not received, perhaps the lenders would not have to charge so much interest to cover the expense of tracking down the car and repossess it .
Zerk 10:55AM (7/21/2009)
Which models have this feature?
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tgriffith 11:06AM (7/21/2009)
You wanna convert people into customers? Give us some new technology. Like lasers!
http://www.cargurus.com/blog/2009/07/21/ford-cars-to-run-on-laser-beams/
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unni 11:36AM (7/21/2009)
HCCI - no sparc itself needed, they why a laser beam ?
Gas engine will work like Diesel engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homogeneous_charge_compression_ignition
Art 11:07AM (7/21/2009)
people steal domestics?
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BoxerFanatic 11:12AM (7/21/2009)
OwnStar.
When are they going to gain auto-parking systems.... (throttle, steering, brakes, cameras.)
Then it will have access to everything, and OwnStar will just be able to drive your car by remote.
They already have access to every data system on the car, including GPS location.
Thanks, but not a chance in hell I would own a car that reports to someone else.
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tuxchown 1:40PM (7/21/2009)
It's a service. You don't have to buy it if you don't want it.
BoxerFanatic 1:45PM (7/21/2009)
If you buy a GM car, the hardware is there.
Even if you cancel the "service", the hardware is there.
The hardware doesn't report to you what it is sending, where it is sending it, or who might be monitoring.
It may not be a problem, but it is an opportunity for a problem. No thanks.
A few months ago, a Wisconsin court ruled that GPS tracking of people's cars is legal without a warrant, and obviously without the knowledge of the people being surveilled.
How long until the police can track your car by the hardware that is already installed. They won't even have to actually plant anything, just punch up a data connection with the on-board cell modem.
No thanks. It is not accountable, it is not secure.
tuxchown 3:47PM (7/21/2009)
Not all GM cars have OnStar installed and even if the model you choose does, I am quite sure you could disconnect it. The antenna removes with a quick twist. Lose the tin foil hat. GM is interested in offering a service for the convenience of their customers, not a monitoring system to find you. They couldn't give a rat's ass where you are.
alex 7:00PM (7/21/2009)
Boxer, you seriously put that much thought into this and never came across the idea of disconnecting the hardware? it's easy to do.
And if you're so worried about being tracked you better get rid of your cell phone. Your service provider can track your every move, whether your phone has GPS or not.
don 11:13AM (7/21/2009)
remote disabling eh? this ensures i would never purchase anything with onstar. if they can turn off my car. who else? ..best pay those overdue parking tickets. :)
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BigTeebo 11:28AM (7/21/2009)
What's not to stop someone else from calling your car in and shutting it down as you are driving it?
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