As vehicles become more connected, cybersecurity is critical – (source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
Since 2012, Ann Arbor, Mich. has been the site of the world’s largest real-world test of vehicle-to-external (V2X) communications through the Safety Pilot Model Deployment (SPMD) run by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Toyota and UMTRI have just announced a significant expansion of that test program and opened it up to new participants.
V2X communications encompasses vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle to everything else including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. The system uses a variant of the WiFi technology used in homes, businesses and mobile devices to transmit and receive short messages about position, speed, road conditions, traffic signals and driver activity such as emergency braking. The intent is provide real-time alerts about what is happening nearby that might not be within line-of-sight of the driver.
As semi and fully-autonomous vehicles are deployed in the coming years, V2X communications will also enable vehicles to communicate with each other about their intentions which should help avoid accidents like the recent collision between one of Google’s self-driving prototypes and a Mountain View, Calif. bus.
The original SPMD program in Ann Arbor was a three year test funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation. More than 2,800 vehicles owned by residents of the Ann Arbor area were equipped with V2X communication devices and GPS sensors. In addition, traffic infrastructure in the northeast part of the city was equipped with similar radios. These devices transmitted position and speed data and were used to test and develop the communications protocols and security of the system as well as verify interoperability of equipment from several suppliers.
“As the original SPMD program wound up, we worked with our partners including Toyota to extend and expand the program,” said UMTRI spokeswoman