Cadillac CTS Upgraded With Vehicle To Vehicle Communication

The results are pretty badass if we say so ourselves.

Sharing information is how humans have managed to advance so far forward and create technology and civilizations that belittle even the most forward-thinking societies just a millennia ago. However, even with the Internet of Things helping us store and share photos, sentiments, and music more easily, cars don’t take full advantage of the available technology to talk to each other. A handful of automakers, which now includes Cadillac, are attempting to change this with vehicle to vehicle communication technology.

Car’s computers will have the same boring topics of conversation you have with an Uber driver who’s not in a chatty mood. Facts about the weather, how bad traffic is, none of that may be of massive interest to you, but it’s a goldmine of data for other cars on the road and can help those of the driven and self-driving variety.

That’s why Cadillac decided to outline some of the many ways that vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, standard on 2017 interim model year CTS models, will operate. Using Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) and the onboard GPS system, the car can handle around 1,000 messages per second between two vehicles 1,000 feet away from each other. The system warns drivers about potential road hazards ahead that they may not know about but have been experienced by the car in front. For example, if the traction and stability control intervenes in the car ahead, it will share that information with a Cadillac behind it so that it can slow its speed, warn the driver, and prime its safety systems.

Another scenario involves a driver ahead slamming on their brakes or activating the hazard lights, which then sends a warning to the car behind to slow down and be on alert. When approaching an intersection, a Cadillac equipped with V2V technology will scan for other cars and track their positions, direction of travel, and speed to help predict potential hazards. Essentially, the system gives the car’s computers more foresight, helping the safety systems be more useful. "V2V essentially enables the car to sense around corners,” says Richard Berkus, Cadillac global director of product strategy. “Connecting vehicles through V2V holds tremendous potential, as this technology enables the car to acquire and analyze information outside the bounds of the driver’s field of vision."

He adds, "As an early mover, we look forward to seeing its benefit multiply as more V2V-equipped vehicles hit the road.” With features such as Cadillac’s Super Cruise on the horizon, expect America’s best source of blinged-out cars to get a lot more sophisticated.