Automotive News - May 6, 2019 - Retail - 16

16 * MAY 6, 2019

Connected-vehicle technology
reaches a precarious pivot point
Toyota decision
reflects industry
paralysis on V2X
Pete Bigelow

pbigelow@crain.com

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BRYAN, Texas - Federal, state and
local transportation agencies have
spent decades preparing for the arrival of a connected-vehicle communications technology that could potentially thwart crashes and save
lives.
But when transportation leaders
met last week at the Texas A&M
Transportation Technology Conference, their concerns about the future
of the technology was palpable.
Days earlier, Toyota, one of the

Toyota has supported the University of Michigan's work to test dedicated
short-range communications technology illustrated in this rendering.

auto industry's strongest proponents
of using dedicated short-range communications messages, said it would

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postpone plans to equip all new vehicles with radios to transmit DSRC
messages by 2021. It left conference
participants wondering about the future of the technology. In some cases, agencies have installed roadside
units to carry these messages.
"We do not want to be in a situation where we're picking between
Betamax versus VHS," said Tom Byron, chief engineer at the Florida Department of Transportation. "It
makes us very uncomfortable from a
DOT perspective, because we may
be investing millions of dollars in
something that's never going to be
used."

'Tug of war'

"How do we guarantee [improved]
safety when their motivation is profit
from getting as much content into
the vehicle and obtaining data from
the vehicle," said Jim Barbaresso, national practice leader for intelligent
transportation at HNTB, a consulting firm that advises clients on infrastructure projects. "It's going to be
this tug of war between those two
things."
'Pause' button
Toyota isn't the only automaker
DSRC's challenges are at least twofold. A federal mandate failed to ma- caught in the middle. Last June, Genterialize, leaving automakers and oth- eral Motors said it would install
er interested parties, such as the Fed- DSRC-based V2X communications
systems in a "high-voleral
Communications
ume Cadillac crossCommission, uncertain
over" by 2023, and then
about its path forward. In
"We do not
extend the technology
the meantime, a cellular
want to be in
throughout the brand's
version of DSRC messaga situation
lineup. But in recent
es, broadly known as vewhere we're
comments to the U.S.
hicle-to-everything, or
picking
Department of TransV2X, has emerged as an
portation, the autoalternative path because
between
maker hedged, saying,
V2X could share informaBetamax
"DSRC has demontion with other vehicles,
versus VHS."
strated the technical
infrastructure or even biTom Byron, chief
capability" while addcyclists and pedestrians.
engineer, Florida
ing that cellular techToyota's
announceDepartment of
nology "also holds
ment marks the latest
Transportation
promise"
chapter in the battle beOne potential solutween cellular-V2X and
tion might be to install
DSRC, leaving the future
of DSRC all the more precarious. dual-mode equipment capable of
Though Toyota has paused its plans, discerning safety messages sent via
company officials say they remain DSRC or cellular methods. Suppliers
firm proponents of DSRC over the such as Bosch and Continental have
developed and marketed such capalong term.
"We were past the drop-dead time bilities. Benefits from a so-called inon a decision to put this in, and felt teroperable system might allow
like we had to be honest about what automakers to launch V2X systems
our plans are and how they've now without waiting for the technolchanged," Ed Bradley, a program ogy battle to play out. It might also
manager in Toyota's regulatory af- add a layer of redundancy over the
fairs department, told the confer- long term.
But Hongsheng Lu, a Toyota reence. "But it in no way, shape or form
diminishes our support for DSRC searcher speaking at the conference,
and what we're thinking and doing cast doubt on the viability of such an
approach.
as we look to the future."
"That would increase the cost on
Proponents of DSRC hold it up as
the only method of communication the user side without increasing the
that has been vetted for more than a benefits," he said. "And since these
decade and is available to deploy technologies are not interoperable,
now. A 2018 study by the University they'll need additional spectrum,
of Michigan's Transportation Re- and as a result, we'd have to cut
search Institute found that as many down the applications we planned to
as 8.1 million crashes and 44,000 support. ... We face a complex
deaths could be prevented if V2X cost-benefit equation, a confusing
technology was deployed today technology market, and unclear govcompared with waiting three years ernment policy outlook." a

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to develop and evaluate competing
technologies.
DSRC advocates see Toyota's decision as a setback, but not the end of
the road.
"It's key that they're pushing the
'pause' button," said Greg Winfree,
executive director of the Texas A&M
Transportation Institute. "It's not the
'eject' button. It's not the 'We're going to find a new technology' button.
It's 'We still believe in this technology and the power of connected vehicles to save lives and reduce injuries.' "
But automakers are hesitant to pay
for additional equipment, especially
if their competitors are not mandated to do the same. Because they already install equipment for cellular
connectivity, Bluetooth, LTE and 4G
LTE, and even SiriusXM, they're reluctant to add another radio.

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