V2V network needs funder
A long-proposed V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) communications network needs someone to “take the reigns” for funding, building and running the proposed technology.
A consortium of automakers, corporations and government agencies have envisioned and pondered the “Internet of cars” over the last several years. As currently conceived, new vehicles would employ wireless devices to transmit their location, speed, and other pertinent information 10 times per second to a network of other vehicles.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has lauded the system as an important component of automobile safety. With an operational network in place, cars and trucks upon U.S. Highways would carry about $300 in wireless communications equipment allowing each vehicle to “say,” according to an August DOT report, “I am here, this is how fast I’m going, and so on. You can trust me.”
The DOT report also implied, “due to the current fiscal environment,” that the federal government will not likely be the one to supply startup or maintenance funds for such a project to proceed (as they did in the 1960s, laying the groundwork for the Internet). It is estimated that the system, once in place, would require a budget of about $60 million per year to maintain. While the DOT endorses the technology, their recent report deems that government funding “does not seem plausible.”
The manufacturer consortium consists of Daimler-Benz, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen. They, along with the DOT and other safety experts, have projected that the network could eliminate tens of thousands vehicle crashes and save thousands of lives annually.
The DOT has concluded that just two features allowed by this system — one to make left turns safer and another to warn drivers of red light runners — would prevent over 1,000 yearly motor vehicle deaths. Automakers and suppliers would use data from the system to design safety features for risky driving situations such as left turns, passing and intersections. For an impending crash, the vehicle would warn drivers via flashing lights, vibrations, alarms, symbols, or actual activation of vehicle control systems.
Besides unavailable funds, the federal government may lack the ability, or at least lack consumer confidence, to run a high-stakes Internet project due to their history of struggles with the Healthcare.gov website. Thio Koslowski, a connected-car analyst at Gartner Inc, opined, “I don’t think the government wants to take on the burden of ensuring the high reliability of this network.”
And therein may lie the stumbling block for others. Automakers, for example, need additional incentive to invest in and embark on such a massive project. While cost is an issue, running the network could also expose them to legal liability if something goes wrong and a vehicle crashes.
Mark Johnson, a Squire Sanders lawyer who has worked on the issue since the 1990s added, “Other than the safety benefits from this technology, it’s not clear at this point what benefits the car companies would see from taking on this role. They believe in this technology, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to be the administrator of a nationwide system, or are the most capable of doing it.”
Davis Friedman, acting director of the National Highway Traffic Safety administration said that V2V communications could be the biggest revolution on U.S. roads since the interstate highway system was created in the 1950s and added, “Beyond preventing accidents, it could ease traffic jams and save fuel by keeping drivers from idling in traffic.”
Whereas the primary goal of the network is to prevent crashes, linking cars could also have commercial uses. The data collected from millions of vehicles upon the roadways would likely be valuable marketing data. That, coupled with aiding in the viability of self-driving vehicles, just might pique the interest of an Internet “giant” such as Google. They can certainly handle the $60 million monthly maintenance requirement; it remains to be seen if they like the other potential benefits.
Whether it be automakers, telecommunications companies, security companies or other industry groups who eventually become involved, V2V communications are likely in our future. The DOT is scheduled to put out a formal request for proposals very soon.
Readers may contact Bill Love via email at precisiondriving@spokesman.com.
