Eberspächer's remote heaters

Eberspächer's Calltronic enables users to remotely heat their vehicles by controlling the company's auxiliary heaters via any fixed or mobile telephone.

Auxiliary heaters make driving a bit more pleasant from, say, November to March. For instance, the heaters eliminate the need to clear the windows of ice before driving to work in the morning and then home at night. In summer, there is extra ventilation power for a fresh breeze. For enhanced operating convenience, Eberspächer presented at Frankfurt the latest generation of remote controls for auxiliary heaters: Calltronic by phone and Telepuls 5 (TP 5) using radio signals—both with feedback features.

Calltronic enables Eberspächer auxiliary heaters to be switched on using any fixed or mobile phone regardless of distance. The heating period and ventilation setting may also be controlled remotely in this way. Eberspächer described the basic Calltronic module as being not much bigger than two cigarette packs (or, for a healthier, more high-tech metaphor, about the size of four Palm pilots), and it can be easily fitted—for example, behind the glove compartment. The aerial required is simply fixed to the windshield.

At the heart of the system lies a standard GSM module very similar to those used in most mobile phones. The user is free to choose a service provider who, along with the card, will supply a telephone number for the auxiliary heater. Once the user has keyed in a four-digit security code, the heater—or ventilation system—can be activated within a matter of seconds. Any heating period from 10 min to 2 h may be selected. The system will confirm all input data in any one of four chosen languages. In combination with the mini-timer, Calltronic is able to program the preheater's start time.

Besides Calltronic (the module is shown on the right), Eberspächer offers a mini-timer (top) and the TP 5 remote controller (left) that gives feedback, fan function, remote programming, and optional temperature indications.

The TP 5 radio remote control is available as an alternative to Calltronic. No bigger than a key ring, TP 5 also indicates the current operating status of the auxiliary heater and confirms all given instruction. The display is also capable of showing the current temperature inside the car. Three switch-on times within 24 h may be programmed. Once the user has activated the heater, the car will be pre-heated—or, in summer, set on fan-function.

Both the Calltronic and TP 5 remote operating systems are able to interact with any Eberspächer auxiliary heater. There are two distinct types. Hydronic heaters warm up the interior using an engine-cooling circuit, and Airtronic systems are composed of hot-air heaters mainly for commercial vehicles, mobile homes, and boats. Standard Eberspächer heaters may also be programmed and operated using a mini-clock inside the vehicle.

- Jean L. Broge

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