The first car with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) radios allowing a car to communicate with other cars is the 2017 Cadillac CTS, which goes on sale this month.
The catch is it will only be able to communicate with other 2017 Cadillac CTS’s until other cars begin offering the new technology.
V2V uses a dedicated short range communication system over 5.9 GHz WiFi along with GPS. It can communicate messages on road hazards to other cars (even those around the bend), handling up to 1,000 messages every 12 seconds. And the messages can be transmitted to other cars up to 1,000 feet apart regardless of line of sight or weather or cellular coverage.
“V2V essentially enables the car to sense around corners,” said Cadillac’s Richard Brekus.
And when the CTS approaches an intersection, the car scans for other vehicles, tracking their position and warning if any accidents or hazards are impending.
Berkus added, “As an early mover, we look forward to seeing its benefit multiply as more V2V-equipped vehicles hit the road.”
The feature will come standard on 2017 CTS models, which start at over $46,000.
As far as other car makers offering V2V, a final Federal standard for the technology has yet to be announced. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates up to 80 percent of crashes (that aren’t related to drunk or impaired driving) could be avoided or mitigated by V2V. In December it issued a notice of proposed rule making that would require all car makers to include V2V using DSRC (dedicated short range communication) radios. If finalized, some believe the mandate could go into effect in 2020.
But as a New York Times article Friday, pointed out, other car makers are exploring more robust communication systems such as 5G (and there is not standard yet for 5G either).
The Times concludes, “Ultimately, some combination of short-range and 5G communications may be necessary to make vehicle-to-vehicle connections work reliably.”
Still Cadillac says the life saving benefit of V2V prompted it to take early action.
Source: Cadillac, The New York Times
