What is car-to-car communication?

8 September 2016

The car of the future promises more safety: The networked vehicles of the future are set to respond to dangers at an early stage. Just how this can work is explained by Heiko Ehrich, head of the competence field of Electronic Systems & Car IT at TÜV NORD.

What does TÜV NORD advocate?

We are closely involved in the field of vehicle cybersecurity because wireless interfaces to the outside world create potential entry points for hackers. By manipulating exchanged data, attackers can inject false information that may significantly affect both traffic flow and road safety. TÜV NORD supports the establishment of uniform standards for the development and evaluation of in-vehicle security systems.

What exactly is car-to-car communication?

Car-to-car communication is the exchange of information between vehicles with the goal of improving traffic management and warning drivers about potential hazards. One possible scenario is an accident or traffic jam on a motorway. Vehicles in the immediate area detect the situation using their onboard sensors and transmit this information to other nearby vehicles. The receiving vehicles can then react immediately—for example, by warning the driver or calculating an alternative route. An even more advanced concept is car-to-X communication, which includes not only communication between vehicles but also communication with surrounding infrastructure. One example is intelligent traffic light control, where traffic signals automatically adjust to traffic conditions based on data received from connected vehicles.

When will connected cars become a reality?

Communication technologies that meet the requirements of connected vehicles are currently being developed. One of these is a variant of the Wi-Fi standard that enables the creation of ad hoc vehicle networks over distances of several hundred meters. In such a network, each participating vehicle can act as a router, forwarding received data to other nearby vehicles. To enable communication between vehicles and the wider infrastructure over longer distances, Wi-Fi-based communication can be combined with mobile communication technologies such as UMTS, which is also used in smartphones. At the latest, when eCall—the automatic emergency call system for vehicles—becomes mandatory for all new cars, every new vehicle will need to be equipped with a mobile communication interface. This is expected to give the adoption of car-to-car communication an additional boost.