Cohda Wireless announces its first V2X OEM deployment for 2017.

Global Connected Vehicle technology leader Cohda Wireless today announces that the new 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan contains Cohda’s world-leading V2X software as a standard feature. V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) uses both vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communications to enable cooperation between vehicles and infrastructure to improve safety, mobility, and have a positive environmental impact.

Cohda Wireless will be supplying their Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) solutions for the 2017 Cadillac CTS, sold in the US and Canada.

DSRC is a two-way, short to medium range wireless technology defined by the 802.11p communications standard. Unlike cameras, radars or lidar sensors, DSRC isn’t bound by line of sight, offering car manufacturers a much safer and more reliable communication solution.

The Cadillac CTS uses the Cohda-based DSRC solution and GPS to transmit and receive as many as 1000 messages per second from other vehicles as far as 300 metres (1000 feet) away.

This pioneering project sees the 2017 Cadillac CTS roll off the production line with Cohda Wireless V2X software installed as a standard feature. This provides the car with ‘360-degree awareness’ by gathering and synthesising data from sensors on nearby vehicles and roadside infrastructure to detect hidden threats by extending the horizon of awareness beyond what the driver can see.

Cohda Wireless has supplied the complete software stack for the 2017 Cadillac CTS, comprising 10 DSRC V2X applications including Intersection Collision Warning, Hazardous Location Warning and Emergency Vehicle Warning.

Cohda Wireless CEO Paul Gray said General Motors had achieved a world first with the 2017 Cadillac CTS. “This is now the benchmark that other production cars will be judged against when it comes to technology and safety,” he said.

“Our DSRC technology allows the driver to know what’s going on with other vehicles that may be speeding, braking hard, broken down or navigating slippery road conditions. By providing advance notice of the hazard, the driver has time to avoid it by changing lanes or slowing down.

The Connected Vehicle capabilities of the 2017 Cadillac CTS are already generating extensive industry interest for its ability to communicate with other vehicles and their drivers about driving conditions. Reports have appeared in AutoWeek, Fortune and the New York Times.

V2X (incorporating Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) communications is widely regarded by automotive and urban planners as a necessary technology for safer, less congested roadways and an essential stage for the eventual deployment of autonomous vehicles.

Cohda Wireless CTO Paul Alexander said General Motors had taken a leadership position in producing safer cars. “The technology in the 2017 Cadillac CTS is at the cutting edge and we are proud to be part of this industry-leading deployment,” he said.

US Department of Transportation (USDOT) research predicts just two V2X applications, Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) and Left Turn Assist (LTA) could reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities an average of 50 percent. Combined with other V2X applications USDOT predicts they could eliminate or reduce the severity of up to 80 percent of non impaired crashes.

North American consumers are likely to see many more V2X features in production vehicles in the near future. With the release of its 2016 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), USDOT has set the automotive industry a goal to make more projects like the 2017 Cadillac CTS a reality. The NPRM aims to make roads safer by setting out a path to V2X adoption in production vehicles.