Trump administration puts the brakes on connected vehicle requirements

Dec. 5, 2017
A proposed mandate for wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology that was originally drafted under the Obama administration may be dead in the water.

A proposed mandate for wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology that was originally drafted under the Obama administration may be dead in the water.

In 2016, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a notice of proposed rulemaking that would have made V2V communication mandatory in vehicles after 2020.

Now, the Trump administration appears to be planning to withdraw the mandate according to an Associated Press report that cites auto industry sources and the Department of Transportation (DOT).

“They are removing the mandatory part of the language,” says Mike Ramsey, analyst at Gartner. “If companies aren’t required to do this, it changes the paradigm and the introduction schedule.”

V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies are seen as an important enabler of both connected and autonomous vehicle initiatives.

“We have guidelines on connected and autonomous vehicles, but we don’t know if that is going to turn into regulation or sit with no action,” says Bob Redding, Washington representative for the Automotive Service Association (ASA).

The DOT did issue a statement on the V2V mandate, indicating that the proposed rule and related comments were still being reviewed.

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According to a DOT statement: “The Department of Transportation and NHTSA have not made any final decision on the proposed rulemaking concerning a V2V mandate. Any reports to the contrary are mistaken. In all events, DOT hopes to use the dedicated spectrum for transportation lifesaving technologies. Safety is the department’s number one priority.”

However, most sources believe that the administration’s general opposition to regulation make it unlikely that any new mandates will be forthcoming. In addition, NHTSA still doesn’t have a director, which means new agency initiatives are also unlikely.

If a V2V mandate doesn’t’ move forward, it could stifle initiatives that are already underway by car manufacturers and government agencies. NHTSA had planned to mandate V2V systems based on dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) technology, which would have standardized communication protocols across manufacturers.

There are a number of state and municipal safety efforts that hinge upon better vehicle communication, for example. “The vehicle-to-vehicle communication standard is the foundation for the vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-pedestrian safety. V2V will make our streets safer for pedestrians at a time when the number of people being injured and killed in vehicle-pedestrian crashes is increasing,” said David St. Amant, interim president and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITS).

General Motors already announced DSRC-based systems in its new Cadillac CTS sedan, and more than $1 billion has already been invested in the technology across the auto industry, according to the Association of Global Automakers.

“Assuming that they kill off the mandate, it will be devastating to all the work that has been put into the DSRC protocol,” Ramsey says. “GM, Volkswagen and Toyota have already begun implementing this, and those commitments are in danger of going nowhere.”

Ramsey says that road authorities, state and city governments, and other infrastructure entities will now see any initiatives they had planned around connected infrastructure or roadways frozen. “You have to have it mandated for it to be useful,” Ramsey says.

“V2V communication is a key technology that is available now that will save lives on our nation’s roadways,” said John Schroer, Tennessee DOT commissioner and president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). AASHTO is working with states on a national traffic signal timing and phasing program that leverages V2V and similar technologies to improve traffic flow and reduce crashes.

“AASHTO believes the transportation industry must have V2V available and that we must use every tool we can to make our vehicles, highways and roads safer,” the association said in a statement after the AP report was publicized.

Worldwide, the V2V communication market is estimated to reach $582.5 million by 2020, and experience a CAGR of 45.8 percent through 2025, according to a report from Coherent Market Insights.

There had already been pushback from other players in the wireless communication and cable television industries, which would like access to portions of the 5.9GHz spectrum set aside for DSRC. The Federal Communications Commission has been studying whether the spectrum can be shared without affecting safety systems. Cellular providers would also like to see LTE or 5G networks utilized for V2V and V2I projects.

However, cellular systems have latency issues. “That matters when you’re talking about 4,000-pound vehicles hurtling down the road,” Ramsey says. “Some of those latency issues can be solved through technology development, but the same thing happened with DSRC and it took several years to develop a standard to make it work.”

In the meantime, China and Europe are also moving forward with their own initiatives and standards. Some industry organizations in the U.S. would also like to see a more technology-neutral mandate that doesn’t specify DSCR.

“By removing the mandate, they are opening the door to the possibility that this technology just isn’t going to happen,” Ramsey says.

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