Vodafone and Volvo deploy IoT gadgetry to catch car thieves

Vodafone’s new IoT-based stolen vehicle recovery service is available for all Volvo cars in the UK.

The Vodafone Automotive VTS S5 technology, produced in collaboration with Trinsic Connected Car, uses GPS tracking to provide location monitoring across the UK and Europe, and also detects attempts to tow vehicles, tamper with batteries or cut wires.

The tracking function can apparently pinpoint a car’s location down to 10 metres, and if it detects it has been stolen it will send local police authorities a log of the car’s location to help with recovery of the car and conviction of the thieves.

A subscription to the stolen vehicle recovery service also includes an app which allows drivers to monitor the location of the car in real time whenever they like, and look up data on previous journeys.

“Should you happen to fall victim to vehicle theft, our Stolen Vehicle Tracking technology puts youin the best possible position to locate and recover your car,” said Nick Gliddon, Business Director at Vodafone.  “We are delighted that companies like Volvo are using our technology and connectivity to help their customers when they need it most.”

Car thieves are apparently getting more sophisticated in their schemes, so this can certainly be seen as the sort of arms race that tech firms and cops find themselves engaged in with criminals across all sorts of arenas. Any service like this also has the potential to decrease insurance rates for the consumer, which may prove a draw.

However, tracking tech like this also raises the question of how squeamish consumers are going to feel at the thought of being increasingly monitored as IoT devices start cropping up in all aspects of their lives – particularly as part of the service is the ability to track and log wherever the car has been regardless of whether it has been stolen.