OmniAir Applauds General Motors – V2V Now Standard Equipment In Cadillac CTS
In September of 2014, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced that Cadillac would begin offering advanced “intelligent and connected” vehicle technologies on certain 2017 model year vehicles at the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) World Congress in Detroit.
Fast-forward to March 9, 2017, Cadillac, under Barra’s leadership, lived up to their claim and is introducing Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications this month in their CTS performance sedan, currently in production.
“When OmniAir learned that Cadillac was including V2V as a standard feature we could not have been more pleased,” said Jason Conley, executive director for OmniAir. “This forward-thinking approach, incorporating V2V as a standard feature instead of an option, will help speed up the deployment of this life-saving technology.”
Cadillac’s V2V solution uses Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) and GPS and can handle 1,000 messages per second from vehicles nearly 1,000 feet away. The V2V technology on the 2017 CTS operates on the 5.9 GHz spectrum allocated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The 5.9 GHz spectrum has been a hotly debated topic. In fact, the FCC, headed by Commissioner Pai, is looking at opening more of the 5 GHz band for unlicensed use. Those in favor of spectrum sharing claim sharing the spectrum could provide a more robust and universal wireless coverage for consumers and more manageable networks for providers, while proponents of preserving the spectrum for DSRC safety messages claim the network could become clogged and increase latency.
The increased time it will take each device to communicate vital safety messages between V2V, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connected devices may hinder DSRC’s potential to improve highway safety and save lives.
OmniAir is optimistic that this is a step in the right direction. Although the Cadillacs equipped with their V2V system can only communicate with other compatible Cadillac V2V systems, OmniAir and its members are working tirelessly on a set of protocols and are launching a certification program this summer that will ensure all connected devices certified by OmniAir can communicate flawlessly with one another, regardless of the manufacturer. Once this occurs, multiple V2V-equipped vehicles will create a wireless network that allows for the transfer of safety information without relying on sight lines, good weather conditions, or cellular coverage.
OmniAir Consortium is the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification in ITS, tolling, and connected vehicles. OmniAir’s membership includes public agencies, private sector companies, research institutions, and independent test labs. Learn more about OmniAir at www.omniair.org.
