Autonomous technology has been on the increase in the automobile industry and new strides are being made every year. Vehicle-to-everything or V2V/V2X technology is a new thing that has been developed to make a communication grid between the cars, in order to avoid accidents that are caused due to the driver’s error. Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) technology has been proving its worth in field tests for nearly a decade, but it has only recently begun to take off. What was the turning point for V2X? Some experts believe that it was in 2014, when Tesla introduced its innovative Autopilot feature, indicating that autonomous driving was on the horizon. Others may argue that the seminal moment occurred last year when the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued its Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) followed that policy. They issued a proposed rule “that would advance the deployment of connected vehicle technologies throughout the U.S. light-vehicle fleet.”
How does V2V/V2X technology work?
What exactly is V2X technology? V2X technology enables the communication between a vehicle and anything in its environment that may affect it. It could be other vehicles (V2V), surrounding infrastructure, traffic lights, and even phones (vehicle-to-phone, which enables the communication between cars and pedestrians holding a smartphone). V2X sensors provide greater range, increasing around-corner viewing capabilities, and through-objects view functionality. The system has the ability to share real-time driving information and the ability to generate predictive insights when compared to camera and LiDAR sensors. Furthermore, V2X is the only sensor that is unaffected by weather conditions such as fog, heavy rain, or strong sunbeams. V2V technology improves safety by providing 360-degree situational awareness on the road.
Why the need for V2V/V2X technology?
V2V technology, according to the DOT(department of transport), will prevent 80 percent of all traffic accidents. Every year, this could prevent up to 594 thousand crashes and save up to 1,321 lives in the United States alone. Few technologies have the potential to save lives that V2X does, and this has been validated by numerous trials by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP), and others. Cars communicate with one another using V2V technology by exchanging data wirelessly over an unlicensed spectrum known as the Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) band, which is similar to Wi-Fi technology, or by using 5G technology. On either network, the V2V transportation safety and efficiency applications work the same. V2V technology allows cars to transmit real-time information about their location and direction in order to avoid traffic collisions. It also reduces traffic congestion, resulting in shorter drive times and a better overall transportation environment.
How easy is the V2V/V2X integration?
V2X sensors, unlike other sensors, can be easily integrated into existing cars and trucks, much like how consumers first adopted GPS portable navigation devices. This is significant because not every car will transform into an autonomous vehicle overnight. More information can be shared between vehicles as more V2X-enabled vehicles enter our roads, leading to a stronger V2X network. V2X users will benefit from the network effect principle. V2X, like the internet, is designed to be a collaborative technology that grows stronger with each node added to the network. As the government and industry move forward, implementing new technologies in the transportation system is going to be an easy affair. But it must be done safely, to protect the public and the integrity of our transportation system, while advancing innovation to meet the future needs of industry and society. Everyone involved in this exciting field is responsible for ensuring that automated and non-automated vehicles can coexist safely on the same roads.
Conclusion
The V2V/V2X technology holds great promise for the future of the automobile sector. Technology like these can greatly reduce the number of fatalities on the road, as most of them are caused by human errors. The V2V/V2X technology will ensure that two vehicles on the road will not come into a conflicting situation, leading to an accident. This system works much like TCAS(traffic collision avoidance system) on airplanes, which was made mandatory in the 90s by the aviation authorities. For the technology to work in India, we will have to greatly improve our road infrastructure like markings, road signs, etc.
