The implementation of in-vehicle systems will require multilateral cooperation, as Honda’s Sue Bai explains to Colin Sowman.
Vehicle manufacturers will shape the future direction of in-vehicle ITS systems, but they can’t do it on their own. So to find out what they see on the horizon, and the obstacles they face, ITS International spoke to Sue Bai, principal engineer in the Automobile Technology Research Department with Honda R&D Americas. Not only does she play an important role in Honda’s US-based ITS research, she also chairs the SAE International DSRC Technical Committee which leads efforts to standardise safety related vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) messages and data dictionary using J2735 and J2945(draft).
Over the next five to 10 years she says many vehicle manufacturers are expecting to be installing collision warning systems and other safety-related technology incorporating dedicated short range communications (DSRC). “If these systems can give two or three seconds warning of an impending incident, that would be useful,” she says. “But five to 10 seconds of heads-up to avoid getting into the last second imminent collision situation would be even better.” However, she adds the caveat that road-side infrastructure support such as DSRC equipment will be required to fully achieve the safety benefit.
She views the installation of roadside equipment as a ‘game changer’ for the vehicle manufacturers. “Without the roadside equipment, the in-vehicle systems that will be available would be less attractive to car buyers. We know that car buyers may not want to invest in such a system if they have the only vehicle on the road within 200 miles using this technology and are looking at ways to conquer that adoption issue.
“Although the safety benefit of incorporating V2V DSRC technology can be significant, when most people are buying a car they don’t do so thinking they will have an accident. Therefore short-range collision avoidance may not be that tempting a prospect. The majority of car buyers will drive for many years without having an accident but they will encounter traffic lights many times every day. So buyers would see the value in investing in a system that effectively meant traffic lights turn green just as they reached the intersection or tells them 100 metres from the junction that they won’t make the lights so back off the accelerator and save gas. The traffic light phase and timing information is also critical for warning a distracted driver from unintentionally running through a red light.”
Bai says that even with a small percentage of vehicles outfitted with the technology, the benefit could be spread among many drivers. “If one driver gets advanced information to reduce speed when approaching a set of traffic lights, then those following will also have to slow down. So not only does the vehicle outfitted with the technology pass through the junction without stopping, so do the others that are following - they also benefit.”
The same is true of a V2I system that avoids late lane changing by advising drivers which lane to select ahead of a junction, or automatically alerts drivers of stationary traffic around the next bend. Such technology would not only avoid many car accidents but also the subsequent traffic delays, personal injuries and the cost of clearing the wreckage.
She believes there are sound socio-economic reasons why road authorities, both commercial organisations and public bodies, should invest in DSRC infrastructure and sees European road operators, automotive OEMs and roadside equipment manufacturers as leading the way out of the current ‘which should come first’ situation. Indeed Bai would like to see similar initiation in the US pushing forward the inclusion of V2I systems.