Photo: Toyota
The next natural step in the evolution of the automobile is not autonomous driving, but connected-car technologies. The ability of a vehicle to make use of the information all around it will make driving an entirely different experience in the years ahead.
Most carmakers are making small steps towards that goal, testing here and there various systems that would allow cars to communicate with each other, with the road infrastructure and even with the pedestrians in the area.
For Toyota, connected cars are a step towards what the carmaker calls “a future with zero fatalities from crashes, better traffic flow, and less congestion.” On Monday, Toyota announced it would be making these types of systems commonplace on its vehicles no later than 2021.
Together with Lexus, Toyota will accelerate research into Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems, which would allow vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, or, as they are known in the industry, vehicle-to-everything (V2X).
DSRC allows the broadcast of precise anonymized vehicle information several times per second, including location, speed, and acceleration.
This info can be used by other vehicles to get informed about hazards, vehicles ahead, signals, signs, and road conditions. The system being tested by Toyota does not require a cellular or data network to work.
“Three years ago, we pledged to have automatic emergency braking (AEB) in almost every vehicle we sell by the end of 2017,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota North America CEO.
“In that same spirit, we believe that greater DSRC adoption by all automakers will not only help drivers get to their destinations more safely and efficiently but also help lay the foundation for future connected and automated driving systems.”
The carmaker did not say which company will help it with the hardware for the system. Several groups are working on this type of technology, the biggest of them being Qualcomm. Their tech is detailed here.
For Toyota, connected cars are a step towards what the carmaker calls “a future with zero fatalities from crashes, better traffic flow, and less congestion.” On Monday, Toyota announced it would be making these types of systems commonplace on its vehicles no later than 2021.
Together with Lexus, Toyota will accelerate research into Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems, which would allow vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications, or, as they are known in the industry, vehicle-to-everything (V2X).
DSRC allows the broadcast of precise anonymized vehicle information several times per second, including location, speed, and acceleration.
This info can be used by other vehicles to get informed about hazards, vehicles ahead, signals, signs, and road conditions. The system being tested by Toyota does not require a cellular or data network to work.
“Three years ago, we pledged to have automatic emergency braking (AEB) in almost every vehicle we sell by the end of 2017,” said Jim Lentz, Toyota North America CEO.
“In that same spirit, we believe that greater DSRC adoption by all automakers will not only help drivers get to their destinations more safely and efficiently but also help lay the foundation for future connected and automated driving systems.”
The carmaker did not say which company will help it with the hardware for the system. Several groups are working on this type of technology, the biggest of them being Qualcomm. Their tech is detailed here.
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