Odometer comes from the Greek translation of “path” and “measure” to determine how far a vehicle has travelled over its lifetime. Odometers come in different setups and measure wheel rotation or use GPS data to determine the total distance a vehicle has covered over its lifetime. Using mechanical, electronic or a combination of both in an electromechanical setup. Located on the vehicle dashboard, it is displayed to a driver in a digital format once a vehicle is switched on and counts the km or mile distance covered since it left the factory. Previously odometers used a set of cogs on the driveshaft to work out wheel rotation, with each cog representing a number which will rotate the mechanical odometer on the dashboard as the vehicle drives along. Now a set of sensors that determine the wheel speed are used to feed information to the ECU where it can track speed as well as the total distance the vehicle has travelled. With advancements in GPS technology, odometer data can be used to give a host of information to end-users. GPS odometers are used to determine the accurate speed and distance covered to store vehicle journey history and length. This is separate from a standalone odometer as it uses both odometer and speedometer readings with GPS to work out the direction of travel, time spent driving and distance covered.

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Odometer readings determine many important events in a vehicle’s life. It can be analysed to see if a vehicle is driving more than the average yearly distance when compared to the rest of its fleet. Service schedules can be anticipated if a vehicle is due a minor or major service every 20,000km for example. With fleet management booking these services in advance, reducing downtime for their vehicles. ‍ It helps work out the value of a vehicle. If a car is underused it will have less mileage and therefore may be worth more. If a vehicle has high odometer readings then it may have a hard life having travelled long distances on highways at high speed. Leading to higher component degradation and costs to maintain it, or it may be decided it is at the end of its life. Odometer readings are used to work out fuel usage. If the distance is measured alongside the amount of fuel needed to re-fill, the mpg or l/100km rating can be worked out and displayed using the ECU and onboard data network.

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