Australian connected vehicle and C-ITS technology developer Cohda Wireless has announced that the new 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan contains its world-leading vehicle-to-everything (V2X) software as a standard feature.
Cohda’s V2X system uses both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications to enable cooperation between vehicles and infrastructure to improve safety, mobility, and reduce emissions. The company will be supplying its dedicated short range communications (DSRC) systems for the 2017-model year Cadillac CTS, sold in the USA and Canada.
Cohda’s DSRC system is a two-way, short to medium range wireless technology defined by the 802.11p communications standard, and unlike cameras, radars or lidar sensors, the technology is not bound by line of sight, offering car manufacturers a much safer and more reliable communications solution. The new Cadillac uses the Cohda-based DSRC system and GPS to transmit and receive as many as 1,000 messages per second from other vehicles as far as 1,000ft (300m) away.
The pioneering project sees the 2017 Cadillac CTS roll off the production line with Cohda Wireless V2X software installed as a standard feature, making it one of the world’s first production cars to include the technology. The V2X equipment provides the car with ‘360º awareness’ by gathering and synthesizing data from sensors on nearby vehicles and roadside infrastructure to detect hidden threats, by extending the horizon of awareness beyond what the driver can actually see. Cohda has supplied the complete software stack for the CTS model, comprising 10 DSRC V2X applications, including Intersection Collision Warning, Hazardous Location Warning, and Emergency Vehicle Warning.
V2X communications is widely regarded by automotive and urban planners as a necessary technology for safer, less congested roadways, and an essential stage for the eventual deployment of autonomous vehicles. General Motors has recently conducted successful demonstrations of the V2X technology in collaboration with Michigan road agencies, with Cadillac development vehicles receiving real-time data from traffic controllers on signal phasing and timing.
“General Motors has achieved a world first with the 2017 Cadillac CTS,” noted Cohda’s CEO, Paul Gray. “This is now the benchmark that other production cars will be judged against when it comes to technology and safety. Our DSRC technology allows the driver to know what’s going on with other vehicles that may be speeding, braking hard, broken down or navigating slippery road conditions. By providing advance notice of the hazard, the driver has time to avoid it by changing lanes or slowing down.”
