The EU obligation behind eCall has not changed - new M1 and N1 vehicles must carry a 112-based in-vehicle emergency call. What changed is the version of the technical standard cited, and the late-2025 regulation that promoted the technical specifications into formal European standards. The installation obligation is untouched. The 112 number is the EU-wide emergency line; once triggered, the system calls back automatically and transmits the position, which is a different thing from a national local emergency number. Confirm both the call chain and the local rules at project launch, rather than watching only the standard number.
So the "2026 changes" are mainly a standards switch and a timetable, not a new function bolted on. What follows is split along the timeline, so production can be scheduled against it - do not read "the standard changed" as "the car needs new hardware". Working backwards from the nodes and getting suppliers to hold stock early is steadier.
From that date, new applications can choose: continue with the old technical specifications, CEN/TS 17184:2022 and CEN/TS 17240:2018, or adopt the new formal standards, EN 17184:2024 and EN 17240:2024. The whole of 2026 is a transition period, and the old CEN/TS specifications are not banned from filing that year. A new project that is ready should file against the EN versions and save the later switching cost.
The installation obligation under the parent regulation, (EU) 2015/758, and its amendments is unchanged - what changed is which version you are audited against. Saying a product "fails the parent regulation" is misleading. Set the right version at launch and the file is far less painful later.
(EU) 2025/1871 promotes the CEN/TS specifications to the formal European standards EN 17184:2024 and EN 17240:2024, and adds the backup-power performance requirements in Annex X. After the main power is cut, the device has to hold standby plus a complete call sequence, simulating a real accident power loss - it is not a case of running through once and stopping.
That talk-standby-talk cycle retest is not mandatory for every eCall device. It triggers in only two situations: the device has never been tested under Annex X, or the backup power is shared with another unit in the vehicle. An independent, dedicated backup power already tested under Annex X need not run the cycle again, so do not apply the scope with a broad brush.
From 2027, new applications have to prove Annex X backup-power performance, with the exact duration following the regulation annex and the revised test clauses. Shared power also needs the supply priority explained, so the emergency call never loses power. Prepare samples to the laboratory's checklist rather than inventing a minute figure from something circulating online.
1 January 2027 is the hard switch for new applications (new vehicle type approvals): from that day, new filings must use EN 17184:2024 and EN 17240:2024, and the old CEN/TS specifications are no longer accepted for new applications. Vehicles already registered are unaffected - it is not a case of certificates being voided.
The registration validity of a whole-vehicle certificate of conformity (CoC) based on the old CEN/TS specifications runs to 1 January 2028: before that date the old CoC can still be used to register a new vehicle, and only from 1 January 2028 is it no longer accepted. The two nodes are different in nature, so do not blend them in planning: 2026 is the optional dual track, 2027 switches new applications to EN, and 2028 retires the old CoC. Three separate accounts.
Positioning accuracy stays at CEP95, a 50-metre circular error probability in an open environment - the EU's mandatory threshold. The 15 metre figure belongs to a different system in China, so do not apply it to the EU requirement; confusing the two test targets wastes the test.
The basic Minimum Set of Data (MSD, EN 15722) carries an encoded upper limit of 140 bytes, and that is unchanged. The extension information for NG eCall travels as optional additional data (OAD), an extra payload that does not replace the basic MSD itself - do not read it as the basic MSD getting longer. Laboratories test against the new CTS, and most projects see only small hardware changes; but where the backup power falls into the shared or enhanced test scenario, battery capacity and power management strategy may still need adjusting, so a blanket "the sample will not need much change" does not hold.
Within 2026, new applications can still use reports and certificates produced under the old CEN/TS specifications; from 1 January 2027, new applications must use the EN versions, and old CEN/TS reports are no longer accepted for them. Tag every report in the archive with its standard version - an old-version report mixed into a new application is bounced straight back by the type-approval authority, so do not rely on the date alone. Keep internal development and production reports separate too, so an audit does not pull the wrong version.
Keep the raw test records for the MSD and positioning accuracy, so a spot check can reproduce them - a conclusion without the raw data is not enough. With the backup-power test added, samples have to be prepared to the new procedure and old fixtures may not fit, so line up the test list with the laboratory in advance. Supplier stock ordering follows the new version as well, rather than changing after the case opens.
Submissions pile up around a standards switch, so a project that can be prepared to the new version should open early rather than sit on the deadline.
Online posts that describe the 2026 eCall changes as a "forced new hardware" requirement are wrong. Before you act, go by the current text on EUR-Lex; when the standard version and the transition terms line up, production scheduling stops tripping. For eCall programmes, BlueAsia pins the standard version and the transition nodes at kickoff, so a later CoC or backup-power change does not derail a locked production plan.
Contact: King Email: king.guo@cblueasia.comAddress: Building C, Hongjingda Industrial Park, No. 107 Beihuan Road, Shiyan Street, Bao'an District, Shenzhen, China BlueAsia delivers more than service!
