The U.S. Department of Transportation today laid out its proposal for enabling cars and light trucks to connect to each other wirelessly. The technology, known as vehicle-to-vehicle communications or V2V, is expected to speed up the push toward autonomous vehicles.
The department said the system could prevent hundreds of thousands of crashes every year.
“We are carrying the ball as far as we can to realize the potential of transportation technology to save lives,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a news release. “This long-promised V2V rule is the next step in that progression. Once deployed, V2V will provide 360-degree situational awareness on the road and will help us enhance vehicle safety.”
The proposed rule would require automakers to include V2V technologies in all new light-duty vehicles, and require them to “speak the same language” through a standardized wireless messaging system developed in cooperation with the auto industry.
