V2I

Connected car certs and tests coming from USDOT and FHWA

dotimagineCertification testing and grants are making V2V and V2I connection protocols ready for deployment. The US Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are working with partners to create standards and testing procedures for connected vehicles.

The US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS-JPO) and the Certification Steering Committee have started to work with Danlaw, 7Layers and OCS to set up and deliver the next generation of certification services in support of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program and other near-term projects

The three companies will work  with the USDOT to define the scope of certification activates, test procedures t and test equipment. Related communities will be consulted at each step of the process. Once the procedures and equipment lists are determined, the companies will set up facilities to operate the tests.

7Layers will  develop test requirements, testing, test products for standards for V2V, V2I and V2X.
OCS (OmniAir Certification Services)  led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), will be working with the USDOT to create a gold standard certification program that will propel the connected vehicle program forward and promote manufacturer interoperability and user safety.

Telematics engineering company Danlaw, Inc. announced that it was awarded a grant by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop the Next Stage Certification Environment for connected vehicle technology for (DSRC) Dedicated Short Range Communication and standard, IEEE 802.11p.

DSRC is a range dedicated for cars only and has a great potential. In fact, DSRC is being used to make highways with wireless electric vehicle charging built-in.

Danlaw will develope standardized certification techniques, tools and the associated test environment for certification of the communication protocol, vehicle interface and environmental interactions associated with DSRC based connected devices.

Certification testing is important to ensure that future DSRC based devices communicate accurately and with high reliability  for the greatest safety.

Danlaw noted that as it develops the next generation DSRC certification environment, it looks forward to working with other DSRC stakeholders, device and component manufacturers, USDOT and Test Bed Operators to develop and finalize device specifications, test procedures, test suites, and supporting Plug Fests.

DSRC communications take place over a dedicated 75 MHz spectrum band around 5.9 GHz, allocated by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for vehicle safety applications. DSRC is preferred over Wi-Fi because the proliferation of Wi-Fi hand-held and hands-free devices that occupy the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, along with the projected increase in Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless mesh extensions, could cause intolerable and uncontrollable levels of interference that could hamper the reliability and effectiveness of active safety applications.

The DOT has not stated when it will require the deployment of DSRC in vehicles.

Danlaw has offices in the USA, UK, India and China. Danlaw’s specialty areas include telematics, infotainment, vehicle network communications, embedded systems development, testing and manufacturing. Their customers include automotive insurance and fleet companies, automotive OEMs and suppliers.

A video from DOT Connected Vehicle: The Future of Transportation explains an overview of the connected car future.

 

NXP Vechicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) / (V2I) secure RoadLINK chips from Delphi with Wi-Fi

NXPRoadlinkNXP Semiconductors announced its secure connected car V2X RoadLINK chips will be available for the first time from Delphi RoadLink for Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication using autograde Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11p). This would enable connected cars to have V2V and V2I features in use on roads in two years.

NXP chips with software from Cohda Wireless allows alerts to cars from cars and infrastructure. Infrastructure includes traffic lights, signage and municipal systems. Data is protected and hacker threats are thwarted by NXP’s V2X hardware security module.

Panasonic connects connected cars & big data at ITS

Panasonic HUCPanasonic Automotive Systems Company of America has exhibited and demonstrated a range of advanced technologies at ITS World Congress.

Panasonic Automotive  showcased transportation systems and traffic management, that help create cleaner environment, comfort,  safety, and community life. Panasonic showed technology for connected cars and big data solutions.

UC Davis hosts NXP connected car security with V2V solar-powered Stella demo

UC Davis consults with the state of California on green car incentives and issues.  After a seminar tomorrow at the university about security and connected cars with a demo of Stella, it may lead to California being the first state with solar powered family cars on the road.

NXP Semiconductors with UC Davis’ Institute of Transportation studies and E-Mobility Connection, will host an automobile security round table on Friday, September 19 at the UC Davis. They will talk about security concerns around connected vehicles and how some of today’s leading manufacturers and industry experts are overcoming these challenges. The first solar car Stella with V2X will be demoed.

Delphi supplies V2V for GM and V2I for industry in 2016

delphiv2vFollowing GM’s announcement of V2V(Vehicle-to-Vehicle) devices coming to 2017 Cadillac models, Delphi announced it will be supplying the GM with technology and also stated the world’s first V2V/V2I products will be available in 2016.

Delphi reported that it is the first company with Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication technology to significantly advance driver alerts.

Double decked-out wireless charged buses stopping in London

londonbusWhen you think of London and the big red double deck buses, you don’t think of bleeding edge technology. However next year, some hybrid London buses will recharge while they are stopped at bus stops. The buses will not have to plug-in to a charger but will have battery juice topped off  by wireless inductive charging.

The wireless chargers will be built into  bus stops in London, next year  The Enviro400H E400 hybrid buses, with wireless charging capabilities, will run on route 69 between Canning Town and Walthamstow. The inductive charging to on-board batteries will occur at the bus stops at either ends of the route.

Traffic lights better programming and connected cars = shorter commute times and better gas mileage with V2I

trafficlightsAugust 6 is 100th anniversary of the traffic light at an intersection in Cleveland, Ohio. Today, traffic lights are controlled by sensors that include proximity sensors with some intelligent sensors using localized software. In the future, traffic lights may make driving safer, reduce commutes, save time and lower emissions.

Researchers at MIT have developed a means of computing optimal timings for city stoplights that can significantly reduce drivers’ average travel times. The software adjusts signal times at intersections distributed across the entire city, with the objective of trying to improve conditions across the entire city, while present systems are timed to local information

President Obama drives and supports connected cars with V2V & V2I

obama_tfhrc02President Obama got into the driver’s seat at the Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center in McLean, VA to try out vehicle driving simulation.

“Man, this is so exciting,” he remarked. “I haven’t been on the road in a long time.” After his test drive he said, “It was sort of like ‘Knight Rider.”

The president after a tour of the facility stated that self-driving cars could cut reduce accidents, gas use and commuting times.  He noted that 80% of crashes  could be abated and 3,9 million gallons of gas.

He also thought it was great that as a father of teenager, making driving safer is important to him as well as being good for the economy.

Obama wants Congress to fund more programs of the Federal Highway Trust fund.  He also reported that traffic costs the average driver $800 a year in gas and outdated roads cause businesses to pay $27 billion more in freight costs.

He like that the technology of V2V and V2I helps saves lives, saves money and leads to new jobs in new industries.

He said, “Instead of barely paying our bills in the present, we should be investing in the future.”

He did complain that the driving simulator did not have radio.

The President visited the Human Factors Laboratory and Saxton Transportation Operations Laboratory, and spoke to employees .

 

 

WAT makes the APMA Connected Car so special?

001__C1A3282Last week, the most Canadian connected concept car, ever, was shown at the APMA( Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association) in Canada and one that the Ontario’s drunken mayor Rob Ford can’t drive because it has an alcohol interlock device on it.

There have been reports that just say what types of devices were installed in the car running the QNX operating system but not the actual devices makers or providers.

The specially decked out Lexus RX350 was connected and reconfigured by the University of Waterloo.

Paving solar roads funding with freakin’ fun for a cleaner greener future

SlowDownMedia blitzkriegs and a sassy YouTube video are starting to pave the way for freakin’ solar roadways to the Indiegogo tune of $1.432 million exceeding the original goal of one million.

The campaign that claims that greenhouse gases could be reduced 75% by paving roads and parking lots with solar pavers has over 33,000 funders.  Solar Roadways plans to  solar panels that can handle up to 250,000 pounds, heat up to melt snow, light up with LEDs to form lines in the road for bike lanes or crosswalks, have channels for water and create electricity.  Funders can get metal mounting holes in a solar parking lot, pendants, glass panels, t-shirts, coffee mugs or tote bags.  It’s called “Solar Freakin’ Roadways.”

Solar Roadways  received two phases of funding from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for research and development of a paving system that will pay for itself over its lifespan. They are wrapping up Phase II contract (to build a prototype parking lot) where the funding will be used.

The solar panels are covered by a tempered glass surface that has been tested for traction, load testing, and impact resistance testing in civil engineering laboratories around the country, and exceeded all requirements. The intelligent hexagon panels fit together like bathroom tile.

The company makes a lot of green and environmental claims

  1. It will pay for itself by generating electricity and instead of paying for power plants the money could be used for more solar road.
  2. Heating elements will melt ice.
  3. No pot holes, the material will not break.
  4. Embedded LEDs offer safer night driving.
  5. Storm water can be treated and transported.
  6. Data cables can be embedded in the system.
  7. Provides infrastructure for autonomous cars and EVs.
  8. Panels can transmit cell phone and data signals, buh-buh dead spots.
  9. Roads can post warnings of dangers ahead.
  10. Traffic can be monitored.
  11. No more green house gases or fossil fuels.
  12. Safer roads with fewer accident.
  13. Protects wildlife, Load cells in the Solar Road Panels can detect if something is on the surface of the panel, oncoming drivers will be warned via embedded LEDs of the danger ahead and will be given plenty of time to slow down. If there is crossing with many animals, data collected can show where a bridge can be built.
  14. Lower insurance and health costs.
  15. Better national security because the panels don’t show heat like generators do in battle.

Solar Roadways co-inventors and co-founders are Julie and Scott Brusaw. Scott is the engineer and Julie is a therapist.

The whole Solar Roadway  buzz will be documented in a documentary film with its own website. The whole project appeals to dreamers.  The only thing that has not been document is how much each panel will cost.  Currently a 45 watt solar panel costs around $100 retail.