For Tom Herrick, executive chief engineer of full-size trucks for General Motors, the quest for the next generation of Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras began with a simple statistic. “We discovered that more than 90 percent of heavy-duty truck owners use their truck for trailering,” he says. “A really high percentage of our customers use their trucks to pull RVs.”
However, he discovered a disconnect between how trucks were being marketed and the actual needs of customers. “Most trucks were categorized by how many pounds they could tow,” he says. “But we found that only a tiny percentage of owners actually tow the limit. So we decided to look at trailering a different way. What would make owners feel most comfortable and safer while towing?”
Customer research surveys went out asking about features that owners would like to see. “We got more than 7,000 responses,” Herrick says. Turned out, owners wanted to know a whole lot about what was going on with their trailers, everything from tire pressure and temperature to whether all the lights are on. They wanted a guidance system to help them hook up to the trailer. They wanted a braking system that would stay put when you got out to hook up.
About three and a half years ago, he says, GM began working with RV and trailer manufacturers, exploring projects the companies could do together. The aim was to develop a multi-vehicle combination, truck + trailer, which could be operated and monitored as a single unit through a command center.
Through talks with many RV-industry CEOs, Herrick and his associates discovered that Keystone RV, one of the Thor brands, had a head start on the command center concept. Since 2014, the company had been working with ASA Electronics to develop a way for owners to control and monitor the functions of their RVs through a console or smartphone.
Console display/camera in 2020 Chevy Silverado Heavt Duty. [Photo/Chevrolet]
“We wanted to put the power at the owner’s fingertips, to put the RV owner in control,” Matt Zimmerman, Keystone RV’s CEO, says. “It took about two and a half years working with ASA to develop the iN Command control system, and it’s a game changer.”
With iN Command, owners can monitor and control a range of smart systems within the RV. Working from the control center or a smartphone app, RV owners can deploy slide-outs and awnings, monitor generator and battery health, control the water heater, air conditioner and lights, and monitor fluid levels in all the RV’s many tanks.
The original iN Command system operated via bluetooth, but in 2018 ASA and Keystone took the technology into the cloud, introducing Global Connect. “Now you can have the same functionality anywhere in the world with your smartphone,” Zimmerman says. “You can turn on your AC on the way back to your RV, or deploy your awnings and slide-outs to set up camp before you arrive. If you’re on a day trip and have left pets inside the RV, you can monitor the inside temperature to be sure they stay safe. You can turn on the hot water heater so you have a hot shower waiting for you.”
The iN Command app works in motion, as well. “Say you’re driving down the highway, and you see a sign that a dump station is up ahead,” Zimmerman says. “You can check your black and grey water tank levels without stopping to decide if you need to pull in.”
There are built in safeguards too. “You don’t want your 11-year-old son to accidentally deploy your slide-outs while you’re traveling down the interstate,” he says. “So some features are automatically locked while you’re in motion.”
Keystone’s latest addition to the iN Command system, the Loadsafe On-board Weighing System, currently available on the Keystone Fuzion 427 triple-axle toy hauler, integrates weight sensing technology, taking the guesswork out of loading and distributing weight safely. The company’s ultimate goal is to make this industry-first technology a standard safety feature.
The iN Command System with Global Connect, currently available as an option on Keystone Montana, Cougar, Alpine, Fuzion and Raptor fifth-wheels and toy haulers, gives the RV owner many of the same capabilities that smart home technology has brought to residential houses.
When GM came to Keystone, wanting to integrate the iN Command technology with their GM and Chevy trucks, the partnership developed rapidly. “GM is on a quest to become the trailering gurus,” Zimmerman says. “They’ve taken the technology one step further and incorporated it into the 2020 Sierra Heavy Duty and Chevrolet 2020 Silverado where it can be controlled by the myGMC or myChevrolet smartphone app and also from a screen inside the truck.”
GM has integrated its ProGrade Trailering System with the iN Command System, giving owners a remarkable ability to monitor and control their trailering experience, from a smartphone or from a screen on the truck’s center stack. Owners can see 15 unique camera views of the trailer, including a “transparent trailer” view aimed at providing confidence while towing and a guidance system to smooth the hook-up process. Other features include a trailer light test, trailer electrical diagnostics, trailer tire pressure and temperature monitoring, maintenance reminders and a pre-departure checklist.
“We’ve got a lot of cool technology,” Tom Herrick of GM says, “and it’s all designed to make trailering easier and safer. You can even set the controls to send a text message to your phone if someone tries to unhook your trailer while you’re away from it. And it’s all incredibly intuitive and simple to use.”
ASA Electronics and GMC rolled out their new smart trailering options at this year’s RVX where the Chevrolet Silverado Z71 2500 HD with iN∙Command Control Systems compatibility debuted. And while Keystone RV models remain the most numerous users of iN∙Command, the ASA-owned system is gaining popularity with other RV manufacturers as well. Coachmen and Pacific Coachworks recently announced they will be integrating iN∙Command with Global Connect into their new fifth wheels models.
For details on how the new system operates, visit the ASA iN Command website.