The MOA-ADR from South Korea’s HK e-car records actual speed, speed variation, throttle position, brake signal and seatbelt status.

Demand is projected to increase as developed countries pass respective in-vehicle black box standards.

An in-vehicle black box helps in the accurate analysis of vehicular accidents, with the short-term goal of determining the cause and culprit of an accident and the long-term goal of improving and encouraging safety driving. Data from in-vehicle black boxes is valuable to the government and insurance companies alike. Hence, progressive countries in North America, Europe and Asia have released standards for these devices. As a result, many car companies that have yet to install in-vehicle black boxes in their new releases are starting to do so.

Depending on its add-ons and the region where it is used, an in-vehicle black box is also known as a vehicle data recorder (VDR), a vehicle traveling data recorder, or an event data recorder (EDR). In-vehicle black boxes retain the records of a vehicle’s electronic system status for a predetermined period of time—usually 15s to 30s—before and after a vehicular mishap. Most units process and record a vehicle’s speed, acceleration/deceleration, throttle position, brake status and seatbelt status.

There are more than 200 qualified makers of in-vehicle black boxes in mainland China. Most of them are in Beijing, Guangdong, Shanghai and Jiangsu. The majority of these makers specialize in vehicle electronic devices like taximeters, GPS products and in-vehicle black boxes. About 70 percent of makers, most of which are small-scale, have annual sales below $1 million.

In-vehicle black boxes were introduced in mainland China in the late 1990s. In 2003, the country’s first national standard for in-vehicle black boxes, GB/T19056-2003, was implemented.

South Korea’s in-vehicle black box industry began in 2002 when its government mandated that large vehicles like trucks and buses should be equipped with tachometers. In November 2007, the Korean Industrial Standards (KS) for in-vehicle black boxes was released by the Korean Agency for Technology Standards (KATS). The KS emphasizes five factors—actual speed, speed variation, throttle position, brake signal and seatbelt status.

The in-vehicle black box industry in Taiwan has few suppliers that cater to what is considered a niche market. However, the industry is expected to expand in the next five years because of the growing awareness in car safety and demand for fleet management.

	The SL6800 from mainland China’s Sunleads consists of six user-customizable modules.

South Korea’s mainstream in-vehicle black boxes record video, speed acceleration data and time. Some products have added features such as GPS tracking system, lane departure warning system (LDWS) and wireless communication. Most of the black boxes use built-in flash memory and SD cards for data storage. In the near future, new models will support wireless function so that transmission of accident information to police or emergency stations will be automatic.

HK e-car Co. Ltd’s MOA-ADR keeps the records of vehicle status and driver operations data for a period of 30s before and 15s after an event. The model records actual speed, acceleration/deceleration, throttle position, brake signal and seatbelt status. The MOA-ADR is one of the models that HK e-car supplies to Hyundai. Another model is the MOVI, which features a color 640x480 pixel CMOS camera that captures videos 14s before and 6s after a vehicular mishap.

PLK Technologies Co. Ltd’s RoadscopeX records video, speed acceleration data, time and date 14s before and 6s after a mishap. The model also features an LDWS. Another PLK model is the RoadScan Master, which records GPS information—location, latitude, longitude and altitude—and video data.

PLK plans to launch a new model with black box and navigation function. The model will feature all of PLK’s existing black box technologies including LDWS.

UbOne Co. Ltd has launched model NDRS5200, which features two 270,000 pixel CCD cameras. One camera is for recording accident data and the other is for DVR function. The NDRS5200 records video, audio, speed acceleration and GPS data. It supports wireless communication technologies like 3G, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, GPRS, Wi-Fi, WiBro and WiMAX.

	Model JJLY05 from JiFuTong comes with built-in GPS and GSM/GPRS functions.

Mainland China in-vehicle black boxes usually comply with the national standards in the region. These standards typically require products to have the capability to record and store realtime clock, date, speed, traveling mileage and identity of driver. The devices feature RS-232 and USB interfaces. GPS positioning, GSM communication and modularization are some of the main product development trends.

Model FD800 from Dongguan Fangda Electronics Industry Co. Ltd processes and collects vehicle data such as average speed, top speed, traveling time, parking time, mileage, overspeed, break status, whistling, reversing, wipers, lights and turn signal. It records 15 days’ worth of vehicle status data. It also records 30 group status data with 20s length and 0.2s precision before parking.

Beijing Ji Fu Tong Electronic Technology Institute’s JJLY05 is a standard in-vehicle black box with GPS and GSM functions. It features a 128x64 pixel LCD screen, built-in microphone, 12-channel GPS receiver with 15m positioning precision and IC card reader for driver identification.

The JJLY05’s other features include 500hr traveling data storage, 10 groups’ data recording before parking, overspeed warning, fatigue driving warning and management software with electronic map. Users can trace the vehicle on client software and obtain realtime or historical vehicle status such as position, speed and travel itinerary.

Sunleads Technology Development Co. Ltd’s SL6800 consists of six modules: host, display, printer, GPS, GSM/GPRS and WLAN. The model’s host module is fully compliant with GB/T19056-2003. The display module shows realtime clock and other information. The GSM/GPRS module sends back realtime vehicle status to a fleet management center. The WLAN module transmits in-vehicle data to management center automatically if in a wireless network hotspot.

Shenzhen Ansund Technology Co. Ltd has launched a GPS model with GSM/GPRS communication and built-in printer. The model supports multilanguage menu and output, at least 32KB built-in memory, realtime positioning and tracing, robbery and break-in warning, in-vehicle monitor, self-test, power-off protection and power-save function.

	The NDRS5200 from South Korea’s UbOne, which features 2-channel CCD cameras and an internal GPS module, supports wireless communication using 3G, CDMA, WCDMA, GSM, GPRS, Wi-Fi, WiBro and WiMAX.

Analog and digital in-vehicle black boxes are available in Taiwan. Most Taiwan manufacturers have shifted production to digital, often offering in-vehicle black boxes derived from standalone mobile DVRs or car PCs.

Appro Technology Inc.’s DVR-3046 is primarily a mobile DVR that is compatible with most VDRs or EDRs. The model features realtime recording and playback. It has four alarm inputs and two alarm outputs. It features pre-alarm recording of 50 images. Its interfaces include USB and RS-232 ports that enable it to connect to a PC and GPS receiver, respectively. The DVR-3046, which has antishock design, offers data storage via a 2.5in HDD and SD memory card.

Car Eyes Technology Co. Ltd’s PC-based in-vehicle black box, model CE-TRUTH1800, features a modular design. The product supports functions such as video recorder, realtime display, GPS receiver, Internet access, MP3 player and car security. Its storage capacity is via a 2.5in external HDD and CF card. The CE-TRUTH1800 has built-in G-sensor and gyro sensor to monitor car gravitational acceleration and car balance, respectively. It supports Europe E-call service.

Baoruh Electronic Co. Ltd’s BR6828 is a turnkey solution with GPS and GPRS functions that are ideal for fleet management. It collects vehicle data such as power on/off, idle time, speed, brake actions and mileage. The model, which supports report printing, has been tested by the Automobile Research & Testing Center in Taiwan and has been awarded eMark and 3C certifications.

Prices of in-vehicle black boxes vary and depend on the specifications and add-ons of the models.

In South Korea, video recording black boxes are priced from $290 to $400. High-end models that meet all KS requirements are priced as high as $1,000.

In mainland China, prices of in-vehicle black boxes range from $70 to about $400. An entry-level model with basic data collection and recording function is priced at about $70. Midrange units with built-in LCD screens and voice warning function are priced at about $100. High-end models with built-in GPS and GSM/GPRS modules are at least $200.

In Taiwan, a PC-based in-vehicle black box with video recording capability is more than $1,000. A DVR-based model, meanwhile, is priced from $200 to about $250.

Baoruh’s entry-level models are priced from $150 to $350. Its midrange models with GPS and GPRS functions are priced from $300 to $650. Baoruh’s high-end offerings with fleet management tools are priced from $550 to $1,000.

Most of the makers from mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan expect prices to remain stable in 2008. Many suppliers said that prices might decrease in 2009 because of the entry of more competitors and increased production as demand for in-vehicle black boxes increases, especially in Europe and the United States.

South Korea makers are counting on the implementation of national standards for in-vehicle black boxes to drive the industry’s growth in the next three years. These makers are expecting to profit from markets in Europe and the United States since these regions are scheduled to start requiring vehicles to have black boxes by 2010 and 2011, respectively.

All of HK e-car’s in-vehicle black boxes, at present, go to Hyundai vehicles including express buses. HK e-car releases five models a year, and takes about seven to eight months to develop and launch a new model from scratch. The company has 15 R&D engineers. Its factory is in Suwon, South Korea. HK e-car invests about 30 percent of its annual sales in product development. Its sales revenue in 2007 was $1.1 million. Its sales target for 2008 is $4 million.

PLK was established in 2004 by supplying LDWS products to Japan. It exports 80 percent of its in-vehicle black box production, with Japan absorbing about 50 percent of its exports. PLK’s other overseas markets are the United States and Europe. Its domestic clients include Hyundai Motors and Kia Motors.

PLK has 11 R&D engineers. It releases two or three new models per year. It takes PLK six to 12 months to develop and launch a new model. PLK’s sales revenue in 2007 was $4 million. Its 2008 sales target is $7 million.

UbOne has an R&D team comprising 13 engineers. It releases four or five new models a year. UbOne’s 2008 sales target is $20 million.

The promotion of a national standard, increasing demand on users’ safety needs as well as the requirements for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and The World Exposition Shanghai China 2010 are driving the growth of the in-vehicle black box industry in mainland China. Makers mostly forecast a rosy future for the industry.

Established in 2000, Sunleads specializes in communication products and vehicle electronic products. The company has a 600sqm factory with 100 employees.

Founded in 2002, Shenzhen Ansund is involved in the production of in-vehicle black boxes and GPS products. It has a 1,600sqm facility with more than 50 workers.

Beijing Ji Fu Tong focuses on in-vehicle black boxes, GPS terminals and tire pressure gauges. It has a 10-member product development team and 50 workers. Its monthly capacity is more than 10,000 units.

Dongguan Fangda was established in 1999. It is also involved in the production of GPS devices and fire detectors and alarms. It has a 6,000sqm factory with 300 workers. Its monthly capacity is up to 100,000 units.

Most Taiwan makers have technology partners because the industry is technology intensive. As with South Korea, Taiwan makers lament the fact that there are too few buyers for the product. They also see the current high prices of in-vehicle black boxes as a deterrent to growth.

Car Eyes was established in 1993. It started to develop in-vehicle black boxes in 2005. The company is currently more focused on the domestic market. Most of its black box business is made-to-order. Car Eyes is located in the Innovation & Incubation Center of Yuan Ze University to take advantage of the R&D resources. Lee Chuan-Jen, general manager at Car Eyes, said that the E-call service in Europe would boost the demand for high-end in-vehicle black boxes in the near future.

Baoruh was founded in 1981 and started to make in-vehicle black boxes in 1993. Baoruh exports about 20 percent of its products. Its major overseas markets are mainland China and Southeast Asia. Baoruh cooperates closely with Taiwan’s Automobile Research & Testing Center (ARTC). Its partner factories have TL9000 and TS16949 certifications.

Appro was established in 1993 and was initially involved in the CCTV industry. It expanded its product lines to include mobile DVR two years ago. Its facility is certified under the ISO 9001 standard.

All of Appro’s products are RoHS-compliant and have CE and eMark approvals. Appro, which has an office in the United States, exports 95 percent of its products overseas. Europe and North America are its two major export markets.