Eight schools will receive an Autel IA800 Lane Departure Warning (LDW) ADAS Calibration Package.
Autel has partnered with the Collision Repair Education Foundation (CREF) to donate an Autel Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) Calibration Package to eight standout U.S. collision repair school programs, the company announced in a news release.
The Autel IA800 Lane Departure Warning (LDW) ADAS Calibration Package includes an IA800 ADAS Optical Positioning Frame System, LDW targets and patterns for 20 vehicle brands, a MaxiSYS 909 tablet with ADAS calibration software, a VCI/J2534 pass-thru programming device, and a full-color, 244-page Autel Academy ADAS training manual.
CREF is the collision industry's national charity that works to support high school and post-secondary collision programs, students and instructors nationwide. This includes roughly 1,000 collision high school and technical/community college programs that educate roughly 30,000 collision students each year. Schools were eligible to receive the Autel equipment donations by applying for CREF's annual Benchmark grant program, the recipients of which will be announced during the 2023 SEMA Show, Oct. 31-Nov. 3 in Las Vegas.
"On behalf of the collision school programs that CREF works to support, I would like to thank and recognize Autel for this incredible ADAS equipment donation," said CREF Executive Director Brandon Eckenrode. "As instructors face challenging program budgets, it's through our industry partners that we are able to help invest in their programs and ensure that these schools have up-to-date equipment and technology for their students' technical education. We look forward to this collaboration with Autel and connecting them with collision instructors so that students are better trained and prepared for employment within the industry."
The donation is the collaboration's first prong in its just-launched, three-prong campaign to enable automotive vocational schools, colleges and universities to develop curriculums using software and equipment that offers comprehensive ADAS vehicle and safety system coverage based on OE specifications.
CREF will gift an additional Autel-donated IA800 LDW Calibration Package at a CREF webinar titled "The Importance of Adding ADAS To Your Curriculum," 11 a.m. to noon ET Nov. 15. Register here to attend the webinar.
As the third prong in the campaign, Autel is offering the package at a significantly reduced rate to automotive vocational schools. Interested schools can visit here for package details and purchasing options.
"Autel is proud to partner with CREF, an organization dedicated to ensuring that the schools it represents have the best tools, equipment and supplies the industry offers, giving students the skills they need to face the challenges of servicing today's sophisticated vehicles," said Autel CEO Chloe Hung. "It is estimated that by 2043, 95% of all registered vehicles in the U.S. will be equipped with most ADAS including rear parking sensors, rearview camera, LDW and Blind Spot Warning. The importance of correctly calibrating these systems cannot be overstated; it's truly a matter of life and death. Our tools are designed for the skilled technician dedicated to providing exceptional diagnostic and repair services to their customers. And we are grateful to CREF for allowing Autel through our tools to be part of the learning process for these future technicians."
Abby Andrews