What is vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication)?

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V communication) is the wireless transmission of data between motor vehicles.

The goal of V2V communication is to prevent accidents by allowing vehicles in transit to send position and speed data to one another over an ad hoc mesh network. Depending upon how the technology is implemented, the vehicle’s driver may simply receive a warning should there be a risk of an accident or the vehicle itself may take preemptive actions such as braking to slow down.

V2V communication is expected to be more effective than current automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) embedded systems for lane departure, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, rear parking sonar and backup camera because V2V technology enables an ubiquitous 360-degree awareness of surrounding threats. V2V communication is part of the growing trend towards pervasive computing, a concept known as the Internet of Things (IoT).

In the United States, V2V is an important part of the intelligent transport system (ITS), a concept that is being sponsored by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). An intelligent transport system will use the data from vehicle-to-vehicle communication to improve traffic management by allowing vehicles to also communicate with roadside infrastructure such as traffic lights and signs. The technology could become mandatory in the not-too-distant future and help put driverless-cars on highways across America.

The implementation of V2V communication and an intelligent transport system currently has three major roadblocks: the need for automotive manufacturers to agree upon standards, data privacy concerns and funding. As of this writing it is unclear whether creation and maintenance of the supporting network would be publicly or privately funded. Automotive manufacturers working on ITS and V2V include GM, BMW, Audi, Daimler and Volvo.