As the Internet of Things (IoT) expands throughout the world, the auto industry is gearing up for monumental changes in both individual and public transportation. Considering the fact that 80% of car accidents could be prevented with enhanced vehicle connectivity, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, tech companies and vehicle manufacturers are ramping up the development of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies to advance safety and convenience on our roads.
V2V and V2I carry the potential to radically improve transportation in a variety of ways. From reduced collisions to increased energy efficiency, we are on the cusp of revolutionary changes in the way we travel.
The automation systems that exist in today’s cars primarily use sensors, with ultrasonic, radar, and camera technologies allowing vehicles to view and analyze the surrounding area in order to drive safely. While these solutions are extremely valuable, sensors have a limited range and are not always able to effectively manage hidden objects and surprising moves from other cars. However, V2V technology enables cars to communicate and relay data to each other in real time, thereby greatly increasing the distance of a vehicle’s view and furthering its ability to predict what’s coming. For example, a car could tell the vehicle behind it that it is about to change lanes before it even happens, thereby making driving safer and more efficient.
While V2V requires that other vehicles on the road are also connected, V2I needs this only in the infrastructure and the car itself. In this scenario, the infrastructure would assist with coordination by collecting information on traffic and road conditions and subsequently recommending particular behaviors to a group of vehicles. Looking forward to autonomous cars, V2I would allow the infrastructure to determine the ideal velocities and accelerations of vehicles and intervehicle distances based on traffic conditions, which could significantly reduce overall emissions and fuel consumption.
The initial market development for both V2V and V2I is primarily focused on mitigating traffic and reducing accidents, while the long-term potential for these technologies remains in the minds and labs of the experts in this field. It’s an exciting time in the auto industry, as we move into a new world of transportation guided by V2V and V2I to be cleaner, safer, and more efficient for us all.
Written by Igor Ilunin, head of IoT at DataArt.