The first prototype of modern navigation systems in cars appeared in 1920, and the first satellite navigator appeared in the Oldsmobile car in 1995. For a long time all the navigators sold on the Russian market worked with the GPS system, but in 2001 the Russian government decided to "resuscitate" the domestic analogue-GLONASS.
In the last few years, the market has become the so-called "hybrid" navigators, which are able to work both with the usual GPS and with domestic GLONASS. Such devices have not yet been widely distributed to the owners for several reasons:
- they are more expensive than GPS,
- for working with two systems, the battery is faster discharged offline,
- GLONASS devices are massive and heavier than GPS.
In the first stage, GLONASS navigation was used in military and civilian ships and aircraft, as well as ballistic missiles. The implementation of the GLONASS system and road transport was then initiated.
In 2012, the use of GLONASS or GLONASS/GPS satellite navigation was mandatory for passenger vehicles as well as for vehicles carrying dangerous goods. It is expected that in future the distribution of GLONASS will continue, it is expected that sooner or later the GLONASS navigator will be equipped with all cars that drive on Russian roads.
There is no such penalty: in 2015, the penalty for the absence of GLONASS is provided only for public transport and vehicles carrying dangerous goods. The amount for the absence of GLONASS in 2015 is
- 1,500-2,000 roubles (or a warning for individuals,
- 3,000 to 4,000 roubles for officials;
- 30,000 to 40,000 rubles for legal entities.