Bobcat has added a new Remote Engine Disable/Enable feature on the company’s Machine IQ telematics platform. The new feature allows customers in Europe to remotely enable or disable their machine’s engine through the Owner Portal or Machine IQ app.  With Remote Engine Disable/Enable, operators and owners can shut down their machine with a few clicks, deterring theft and aiding in quick machine recovery.

Machine IQ, launched last year in Europe, allows connected-machine owners to monitor the health of their Bobcat machine and remotely track information that enhances maintenance, security and performance. The new Remote Engine Disable/Enable feature represents the first two-way update for the telematics system, allowing operators to both send commands to and receive data from the machine. Remote Engine Disable/Enable via Machine IQ can be activated in Bobcat skid-steer and compact track loaders, mini-excavators and compact wheel loaders connected to the system.

Tomas Plechaty, Machine IQ Senior Program Manager at Bobcat EMEA commented, “Enabling advanced theft deterrence provides critical peace of mind for our Machine IQ users, and Remote Engine Disable/Enable allows our European customers to protect their equipment and allow only authorised usage. This feature also demonstrates our ability to interact with machines via two-way communication using telematics. Today marks another major milestone for what Bobcat continues to do – to empower our customers to accomplish more.”

Bobcat IQ
If unauthorised use is suspected, customers can log into their Bobcat Owner Portal or Machine IQ app to select the asset, and click ‘Remote Engine Disable/Enable’ in the sidebar

User-Friendly

Available with Premium Machine IQ subscriptions, this solution helps customers to remotely prevent theft and unauthorised use in just a few clicks. If unauthorised use is suspected, customers can log into their Bobcat Owner Portal or Machine IQ app to select the asset, and click ‘Remote Engine Disable/Enable’ in the sidebar. Only administrative users can access this feature, and all Remote Engine Disable/Enable activity is tracked in the asset’s history table. Upon executing the disable command, any attempt to start an engine in an off state will fail. If the machine is in operation, the engine will shift into de-rate mode.