Connecting Cars

The Wheel: From Mobility to Connectivity (Grush Hour, Sept. 11, 2010)
Also discussed here: The Connected Vehicle Proving Center

And here: The Connected Vehicle and Continuous Safety (23 page pdf, WiVEC Panel @ Baltimore, Oct 1, 2007)


Today’s review article in Bern Grush’s blog highlights advances being made in the “Connected Vehicle” concept. This has progressed from simple (but life saving) collision avoidance technologies to broader applications that combine GPS navigation with smart computers to offer improved road safety, as well as more conveniences and efficiencies for parking and driving in general, in addition to associated environmental benefits. It resembles in many ways the efficiencies made possible by Intelligent Traffic Lights described in an earlier post which focuses on more intelligent roads and intersections, using advanced communications and computers.

Key Quotes:

“One kind of intelligent transportation system (ITS) – known as the Connected Vehicle – based on 4G networks will provide new levels of traveler services, convenient payment services, real-time safety features, low-cost infotainment, and new types of social computing applications”
“Financial-grade GPS (FGPS) applications..permit drivers to pay only for the insurance they need by paying per mile or kilometer traveled, only for the parking they occupy by paying by the minute, and only for the roads they use by replacing fuel, registration and property taxes with time-distance-and-place fees, allowing lower rates for off-peak driving.”
“Connectivity will help alleviate this mobility problem in three ways:

• fixing how we pay for mobility, enabling fairer and more transparent ways to pay only for what we use.
• enables the information we need to choose less congested routes and times, to find parking spots and without circling and hunting
• enables the network effect of dozens of other applications related to safety, traveler services, and infotainment that provide motivation for the innovation and markets that will drive the costs of delivering payment services down to 2% or 3%”

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