The next great leap in automotive technology

Our nation is on the cusp of the next great leap in automotive technology, one which will revolutionize how we get from place to place, and how we protect ourselves and our children from deadly harm. In essence, cars connected to each other will be able to help drivers avoid everything from a fender bender to a deadly crash. This next great chapter represents the single greatest transformation since the advent of the assembly line.

Vehicles today are engineering marvels. But their capabilities are not being fully utilized. It’s like using a smartphone in airplane mode. They’re amazing devices, but fulfilling just a fraction of their potential.

So how do we fulfill the potential of cars coming to the roads today?

{mosads}Connect them! Not only connect them for infotainment in the cabin, but connect them for safety. Government and industry are working together to ensure that every new car designed for the U.S. market is equipped with radio technology – known as Dedicated Short Range Communications, or DSRC – to help make driving safer. At Cisco, we have three decades of experience connecting data to networks. Now, with the advent of the Internet of everything, the next step is to connect vehicles to vehicles, as well as vehicles to road-side infrastructure.

In doing so, we will take our cars out of “airplane mode” and open the door to a constant stream of communications that not only will save lives and reduce injuries, but will have added benefits – reducing costs, mitigating traffic congestion, and eliminating tons of pollution.

In doing so, we will usher in a new era transportation safety, innovation, new business models and applications, as part of the Internet of Everything.

The scope of this transformation is enormous. Cars, and eventually trucks and all vehicles, will be connected to each other, and to the roadside communications network, via the radio through a complex communications network. 

This network needs interoperability, standards-based technology, as well as a tested architecture for delivering a highly secure, mobile, and high availability solution.

My company, Cisco, and others like it, will layer on an advanced, secure IP network on top of the physical network that today consists of vehicles and roads. We’ll use a combination of DSRC and wired technologies. Surface transportation will become a connected system, generating new data. 

And what that data can do will amaze you. Most importantly, data will have a dramatic impact on safety. Cars will have the capability to warn motorists, to brake immediately, or even take evasive action when accidents are imminent. This will save countless lives and trillions of dollars in property damage and lost productivity. 

Just as importantly, by sending crash data to first responders in real-time, we can direct police, fire and EMS personnel to the scene without delay. 

We can improve traffic flow through real time control of traffic lights and ramp metering. American commuters already spend five days per year stuck in traffic. This is a “congestion penalty” that costs Americans over $1,400 per year per household, an amount that is expected to rise to $3,000 per year by 2030.

And we’ll improve our ability to manage road maintenance and infrastructure investments, by collecting and analyzing more specific data on use of our roadways.

But many of these benefits are today not available, or exist at much reduced levels, because most vehicles are not yet equipped with DSRC technology.

At the moment, the private sector is poised to deploy DSRC — not just the radios in cars, but the corresponding IP network that will connect our roadways in ways never before possible. Once vehicle-to-vehicle communications are widely installed in cars and light trucks as a safety measure, the private sector, and our public sector partners, will respond swiftly to bring the full set of DSRC’s benefits to American consumers.

The potential of this technology is not some far off dream. It’s within our grasp. Other nations including Austria, The Netherlands, and Canada are adopting intelligent transportation systems, including DSRC. This is a time where America should be leading the way and not be left behind.

Einsig is the Global Transportation Executive for Cisco Systems Inc.