General Motors is equipping all of its new Cadillac CTS performance sedans with vehicle-to-vehicle communications feature—technology that lets cars to talk to each other and give drivers advance warning of hazards on the road ahead.
The V2V feature uses dedicated short range radio communication (DSRC) and GPS to transmit 1,000 messages per second from other vehicles up to nearly 1,000 feet away. V2V communications is considered by many in the automotive and urban planning fields a necessary piece of technology for safer, less congested roadways and the eventual deployment of autonomous vehicles.
And someday, if the U.S. Department of Transportation gets its way, it will be required on all new vehicles. The DOT under the Obama Administration proposed mandating V2V communications.
Typical hazardous scenarios that might trigger an alert include hard braking, slippery conditions, and disabled vehicles. Cadillac CTS owners will be able to customize what alerts are displayed in the instrument cluster and heads-up display.
Cadillac will introduce the V2V communications this month in the CTS performance sedan, beginning with 2017 interim model year cars in production now.
“V2V essentially enables the car to sense around corners,” Richard Brekus, Cadillac global director of product strategy said in a statement. “Connecting vehicles through V2V holds tremendous potential, as this technology enables the car to acquire and analyze information outside the bounds of the driver’s field of vision. As an early mover, we look forward to seeing its benefit multiply as more V2V-equipped vehicles hit the road.”
While an important step for GM, it’s limited. At least for now. Only vehicles equipped with compatible V2V systems can communicate with one another.
V2V communications on the 2017 CTS operates on the 5.9 GHz spectrum allocated by the Federal Communications Commission. When multiple V2V-equipped cars are on the road an ad hoc wireless network is created, which allows for information to be shared without relying on cellular coverage, good weather conditions, or sight lines.
V2V will be a standard feature on the 2017 CTS in the U.S. And Canada, GM says.