connected car

Connected car certs and tests coming from USDOT and FHWA

dotimagineCertification testing and grants are making V2V and V2I connection protocols ready for deployment. The US Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration are working with partners to create standards and testing procedures for connected vehicles.

The US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS-JPO) and the Certification Steering Committee have started to work with Danlaw, 7Layers and OCS to set up and deliver the next generation of certification services in support of the Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program and other near-term projects

The three companies will work  with the USDOT to define the scope of certification activates, test procedures t and test equipment. Related communities will be consulted at each step of the process. Once the procedures and equipment lists are determined, the companies will set up facilities to operate the tests.

7Layers will  develop test requirements, testing, test products for standards for V2V, V2I and V2X.
OCS (OmniAir Certification Services)  led by the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), will be working with the USDOT to create a gold standard certification program that will propel the connected vehicle program forward and promote manufacturer interoperability and user safety.

Telematics engineering company Danlaw, Inc. announced that it was awarded a grant by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop the Next Stage Certification Environment for connected vehicle technology for (DSRC) Dedicated Short Range Communication and standard, IEEE 802.11p.

DSRC is a range dedicated for cars only and has a great potential. In fact, DSRC is being used to make highways with wireless electric vehicle charging built-in.

Danlaw will develope standardized certification techniques, tools and the associated test environment for certification of the communication protocol, vehicle interface and environmental interactions associated with DSRC based connected devices.

Certification testing is important to ensure that future DSRC based devices communicate accurately and with high reliability  for the greatest safety.

Danlaw noted that as it develops the next generation DSRC certification environment, it looks forward to working with other DSRC stakeholders, device and component manufacturers, USDOT and Test Bed Operators to develop and finalize device specifications, test procedures, test suites, and supporting Plug Fests.

DSRC communications take place over a dedicated 75 MHz spectrum band around 5.9 GHz, allocated by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for vehicle safety applications. DSRC is preferred over Wi-Fi because the proliferation of Wi-Fi hand-held and hands-free devices that occupy the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, along with the projected increase in Wi-Fi hot spots and wireless mesh extensions, could cause intolerable and uncontrollable levels of interference that could hamper the reliability and effectiveness of active safety applications.

The DOT has not stated when it will require the deployment of DSRC in vehicles.

Danlaw has offices in the USA, UK, India and China. Danlaw’s specialty areas include telematics, infotainment, vehicle network communications, embedded systems development, testing and manufacturing. Their customers include automotive insurance and fleet companies, automotive OEMs and suppliers.

A video from DOT Connected Vehicle: The Future of Transportation explains an overview of the connected car future.

 

BMW beefs up ConnectedDrive security with HTTPS

BMW Group announced that it has increased the security of data transmission in its vehicles in response to reports from the German Automobile Association (ADAC).

Self-driving driverless autonomous connected cars have their good, bad and funny features

The autonomous car became ubiquitous after all the buzz at CES, so much so, it was part of a routine on The Tonight Show staring Jimmy Fallon with some very funny pros and cons of self-driving cars.

The routine brings up all the stereotypes of what people do and how they behave in cars and what they will do in self driving cars.

Pro: Ford will make on for customers with small budgets. Con: Lamborghini will make one for customers with small male genitals.

Pro: Not having to steer can free up your hands for other important tasks. Con: You can give people two middle fingers at once!!.

Pro: Asking your car to drive to the place where you and your wife had your first date. Con: Hearing the car respond, “It’s time to move on Gary. She did.” (This one is very similar to the virtual assistant car by KPMG.)

Pro: Watching your car to car turn left after you say, “Take me to Walmart.” Con: Watching your car turn off a bridge after the radio play “Take Me to the River.”

Pro: Hooking up in back seat. Con: Getting a speeding ticket after the car thinks it’s being told to go “Faster! Faster!”

Pro: It’s lead to sweeping changes int he automotive world. Con: “Car and Driver” magazine is now just called “Car.”

Pro: The latest most advanced model is the Audi A7. Con: The earliest models were the “Dodge Deathbox” and “The Toyota Turn Please Turn!” and “Honda Holy Hell Get Me Out of This Thing!”

Because this is a holiday we ask our readers to contribute their own pros and cons of self-driving cars in the comments below. You can also comment on what your favorite feature of self-driving cars will be…