The Future of Our Highways - Vehicles That Communicate

Most of the technologies deployed in the past by the auto industry have been changes inside the vehicle, from making the structure stronger to adding seat belts, airbags and -- in certain high-end models -- collision-warning systems.

But for a new generation of drivers, safety could come through a national wireless network that would enable cars to communicate electronically with one another and with the roads they're driving on.

It's an initiative that's expected to roll out over the next 10 to 25 years, experts at an auto industry conference said on Aug. 7.

"This has the potential to give us a big leap in saving lives," said Steve Speth, director of Chrysler's Vehicle Safety Office.

The glimpse into the auto industry's future takes today's high-tech global positioning systems and turn-by-turn directions a step further.

On the highways and in the cars of the 2030s, a broken-down vehicle on an interstate could send wireless messages to an approaching semi-trailer truck, and on to the cars behind it.

Today, a car driving behind that semi would have no warning of the broken-down vehicle until the trucker puts on the brakes.

The new system would deploy wireless communication technology and in-vehicle systems to send alerts to the car behind the truck. It could even apply the car's brakes automatically if the driver behind the semi is distracted, said Bob Lange, executive director of vehicle structure and safety integration at General Motors Corp.

Similar warnings would be sent to the car to alert a driver if another car is in the so-called "blind spot," or if there is construction work ahead that will require a lane change, he said.

The rapid ascendance of wireless technology, broadband high-speed Internet and other factors are driving change and investment in vehicle electronics, experts said.

Spending by the auto industry on in-vehicle electronics is projected to triple by 2011, said Harry Voccola, senior vice president of Navteq, a GPS firm, and chairman of the Connected Vehicle Trade Association.

That could mean more business for automotive suppliers. For the system to work, aftermarket suppliers will need to develop systems to retrofit older model vehicles to connect to a national wireless vehicle network, Lange said.

Glendale, Wis.-based Johnson Controls Inc. sees electronics as a key growth area for its automotive interiors division, best known for making car seats and rear-seat DVD players. Johnson Controls' HomeLink system lets a driver turn on lights at home from the vehicle, before pulling into the driveway.

The primary goal of the program is to improve safety on the road, industry and government officials said.

Vehicle crashes killed more than 43,000 Americans last year, according to federal and state reports. Nationwide there were 2.5 million people injured in crashes, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates cost society more than $230 billion a year.

This fall, a testing lab -- the Connected Vehicle Proving Center -- will open in Ann Arbor, Mich., to help move the wireless technology forward. The lab is co-sponsored by the trade association and the Center for Automotive Research, the industry think-tank that's hosting the conference.

The goal of that lab will be to centralize efforts that are under way piecemeal at various universities and automotive company labs. The center also hopes to showcase the kinds of changes drivers could see deployed in the years to come.

Already, on-board vehicle information systems are helping drivers find the closest gas station to refuel. "Over the next decade, products and services for connected vehicles will, in fact, change the driving experience as we know it today," Voccola said.
Beyond safety, the technology could be used to