Webinar Recap: 4 Things You May Not Know About Telematics
Summary
Many operators evaluate telematics based on outdated assumptions or experiences with systems never designed for car sharing. Modern car-sharing telematics respond in under a second, operate during connectivity gaps, manage power intelligently, and evolve through software updates. In this webinar, INVERS Technical Implementation Manager Max Geldeard debunked four common myths and demonstrated how purpose-built systems work.
Telematics has evolved rapidly over the past decade. However, many industry assumptions haven’t kept pace. This gap has led to widespread misconceptions that continue to shape operator evaluations.
We see two persistent sources of myths among fleet operators: outdated assumptions, and category errors that treat all types of vehicle telematics as equivalent when they’re fundamentally different technologies. GPS trackers and basic fleet telematics are designed to share data while vehicles run.
Car sharing systems, on the other hand, are built from the ground up to reliably and quickly respond to vehicle sharing operations: lock, unlock, immobilization, offline functionality.
When operators familiar with GPS trackers evaluate car sharing platforms, they often assume the same limitations apply. They don’t.
Table of Contents
Myth #1: Telematics are slow to respond to commands
This assumption dates back to early car-sharing deployments that used SMS commands. Julius Walczynski, Marketing Manager at INVERS, recalled his first Vancouver car sharing experience over a decade ago: “You’d wait several seconds, sometimes even up to a minute. But because the technology was so new and cool, it didn’t matter.”
Today, user expectations are different.
“Modern systems respond in under a second,” Max explained. “The myth about slow response is outdated. Modern telematics are highly optimized for current network providers, reducing latency in the communication stack.”
When network issues occur, Bluetooth provides a fallback. “The user’s phone connects directly to the telematics, bypassing the network entirely,” Max said. “It mimics the response speed of using a physical key.”
Slow responses today typically signal outdated hardware or systems not purpose-built for shared vehicle access.
Myth #2: Telematics stop working when offline
Parking garages and remote areas are often assumed to cause lost access and lost data.
“Even if a vehicle looks offline, all functions continue without cellular or Wi-Fi,” Max explained.
“Local vehicle control via Bluetooth tokens handles lock, unlock, and immobilization. Events and data continue logging, then resync with the cloud once back in network connection.”
At reservation start, a Bluetooth token (an access grant authenticating the user) is delivered to the user’s phone. For the rental duration, the offline workflow eliminates network dependency.
Max pointed out something many operators miss: “Bluetooth works both ways. If a vehicle is parked underground at the reservation end, the last vehicle state data transfers from the telematics to the user’s phone. When the user gets back into network connectivity, the operator gets that data.”
This includes odometer readings, fuel or state-of-charge information, and any other telematics-reported data.
What about extended off-grid trips? Julius asked about customers in North America and Australia, where vast areas lack cellular coverage.
“Operators can set Bluetooth token validity for whenever they want,” Max said. “Urban areas might be 30 minutes. Operators can set tokens to two-day or indefinite, open-ended. If a user is delayed in the outback of Australia and goes a day over their reservation for an emergency, they’re not locked out. When back in coverage and the reservation ends, the token is revoked.”
Myth #3: Telematics drains vehicle batteries quickly
If a device is always connected, always reporting, it must be drawing power continuously. Right?
“Modern telematics perform quick, dynamic cycles of active and idle states to save power,” Max explained. “When reporting vehicle states while idle, it quickly powers up, transmits data, then powers down after connecting to the network.”
Older systems stayed alive trying to find a network connection in low-reception areas. That constant uptime caused battery trouble. Modern systems recognize poor connectivity and shut down quickly rather than continue searching.
Max offered the analogy: “It’s like your phone, turning on airplane mode stops the phone from searching for signals, which greatly reduces battery usage. Similarly, when a telematics unit isn’t actively trying to connect to the network, it conserves power. If Wi-Fi or cellular searches continue, both devices use more battery.”
“Operators don’t need to actively monitor their vehicles,” Max added. “Low battery warnings from the telematics notify the operator when the level drops below a certain threshold. You can rely on the telematics telling you if anything changes.”
Low-battery alerts aren’t always technical issues. Vehicles sitting unused for extended periods naturally trigger warnings, which should prompt operators to reassess fleet placement or utilization.
Myth #4: Hardware needs frequent updates
Modern car-sharing telematics are designed to be future-proof and can be re-used through several vehicles.
“Most improvements and upgrades are delivered through over-the-air updates,” Max explained. “Firmware enhancements, modem and SIM optimizations, and Bluetooth improvements often address connectivity or performance issues without physical changes to the vehicle.”
A real example from Chile: Max described working with a customer where network quality was notoriously poor.
“Maybe 50 to 75% of the fleet was online. Having 25% offline due to network issues is not great. Our connectivity team optimized the firmware and SIM card firmware for this operator, without touching the vehicles, resulting in much improved connectivity.”
When operators replace vehicles, hardware doesn’t have to retire. “Modern telematics units last several years over multiple vehicle cycles,” Max said. “Modular ports allow new plug-and-play add-ons, such as our AI damage detection unit or even future technology we haven’t created yet, without swapping devices.”
Operators control when updates deploy, similar to smartphone updates. “We leave it up to the operator if they choose to update,” Max explained. “With critical network and modem updates we find absolutely necessary, we inform the customer, coordinate, then push that update.”
Max shared an example: “Tesla made a software update that broke state-of-charge data for all operators with Model 3 and Model Y vehicles. We proactively reanalyzed that vehicle, and with the operator’s permission, updated their fleet.”
Questions from the audience
Q: What does it mean when I keep getting low battery warnings across the fleet?
Max: If warnings cluster in a certain area, utilization of that fleet segment is likely low, with vehicles not getting used for two or three weeks. This is a great tool to act proactively and redistribute those vehicles to higher-demand areas. A technical battery drain issue could also be the case. Quite a few modern hybrids have smaller batteries, but if a vehicle gets used once every two weeks, that won’t be an issue.
Q: Can over-the-air configuration updates be done in bulk or automatically?
Max: They can be done in bulk, but generally they’re not done automatically; because ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.’ If a vehicle is operating correctly and there’s an update that adds a data point or changes locking configuration, if your vehicle works fine, there’s no real need to update. If there’s a critical update, we’ll let the operator know.
Q: Is a bigger 12-volt battery better for telematics?
Max: If you’re upgrading because the battery is ten years old or at the end of life, put the largest capacity you can. This is especially true in car sharing, where there’s potential for underused vehicles. But if vehicles get rented daily and driven more than five or ten minutes at a time, you don’t need a high-capacity battery—they’re getting topped up often.
Key Takeaways
Most operator concerns—response delays, connectivity gaps, battery drain, hardware churn—trace back to outdated assumptions or experience with systems never designed for car sharing.
Modern car-sharing-grade telematics responds in under a second, functions offline, manages power automatically, and evolves through software updates. It’s built to reduce operational complexity, not create it.
For operators evaluating systems or trying to understand what telematics does: you don’t need to overthink it. With purpose-built systems, telematics becomes the quiet infrastructure that supports operations, surfaces issues when they matter, and gives you confidence to scale.
Did you miss the live session? Watch the full webinar to revisit the discussion.
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