Connected cars a near reality

Jan. 1, 2020
Connected car technology is taking a major step forward with the launch of a new pilot program in Michigan, and the establishment of an industry consortium for in-vehicle networking.

Connected car technology is taking a major step forward with the launch of a new pilot program in Michigan, and the establishment of an industry consortium for in-vehicle networking.

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In August, the University of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the launch of a pilot program to equip thousands of cars, trucks and buses with devices that could communicate with one another and alert drivers about potential collisions. Meanwhile, the University of New Hampshire InterOperability
Laboratory (UNH-IOL) launched an Automotive Ethernet Consortium to help semiconductor companies develop standards for automotive networking applications.

The OPEN Alliance (One-Pair Ether-Net) Special Interest Group (SIG) includes more than 70 technology and automotive member companies that hope to encourage the adoption of Ethernet-based auto connectivity. The UNH-IOL plans to test the BroadR-Reach standard for achieving 100Mbps Ethernet connectivity in vehicles.

According to the Alliance, the BroadR-Reach standard allows multiple in-vehicle systems to simultaneously access and share information over a single pair, unshielded cable. Since it only uses one pair of UTP cables and can potentially rely on the same connectors and cables used by other networking technologies in cars, connectivity costs can be reduced by up to 80 percent and cabling weight by up to 30 percent according to Broadcom, the company that originally developed the standard.

According to the group, migrating to an Ethernet-based network standard will allow OEMs to incorporate more electronic systems and devices, such as 360-degree surround view parking, rear-view cameras, collision avoidance, automated driving and infotainment systems.

Current members include Bosch, BMW, Continental, Harman, Hyundai, Daimler, Renault, Delphi, DENSO and Yazaki.

Largest North American connected test

The DOT project in Michigan is part of a $14.9 million vehicle safety research project aimed at preventing crashes. The U-M Transportation and Research Institute is soliciting 3,000 Ann Arbor drivers to participate in the study. During the year-long project, wireless communication devices will transmit and receive vehicle data (such as position and speed), and alert drivers to unexpected vehicle movements. It will be the largest such test of connected car technology in this hemisphere.

“Today is a big moment for automotive safety,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood during a speech at the kick-off event in late August. “This cutting-edge technology offers real promise for improving both the safety and efficiency of our roads.  That is a winning combination for drivers across America.”

“Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety, but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world,” says National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will use the valuable data from the model deployment as it decides if and when these connected vehicle safety technologies should be incorporated into the fleet.”

Several local businesses are participating in the test, including Con-Way Freight and Metro Delivery. According to the University, 128 of the volunteers will drive new vehicle models that are pre-equipped with the tracking devices; the remainder will have equipment installed on their vehicles (and removed at the end of the test period). Toyota, Ford, Honda, GM, Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz are providing vehicles for the test. DENSO International America is providing two types of dedicated short-range communication devices, one an OEM device and the other an aftermarket retrofit model.

Additional devices will be installed in public intersections, curve locations and freeway sites to track vehicle traffic, speed and congestion.

"This is a tremendous opportunity, and we are very excited to be able to support the USDOT's demonstration of cutting-edge transportation technologies in our community," said Jim Sayer, program manager and associate research scientist at the University of Michigan.

The data generated during the test will be used to estimate safety benefits "in support of future policy decisions by the USDOT," as well as for developing safety, mobility and environmental applications that utilize wireless technology.

This is actually the second phase of the DOT program. Earlier in 2012, the DOT released data from its driver acceptance clinics that revealed nine out of 10 drivers who have used vehicle-to-vehicle technology have a highly favorable opinion of its safety benefits.

www.opensig.org/

www.safercar.gov/connectedvehicles

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