FAQs – Connectivity
What is connectivity?
•The automotive industry refers to the car's ability to be connected through wireless technology as "connectivity". Computers, electronics, and communication technologies are making vehicles smarter and "connected". In the not-too-distant future, vehicles will communicate wirelessly with each other, know precisely where they are in relation to the transportation infrastructure and other vehicles as well as, drive autonomously while avoiding crashes and traffic tie-ups.
What will connectivity bring to the automobile industry in the future?
•Think of the vehicles of 2030 as a souped-up driving platform integrated with a wirelessly networked computer on wheels. These vehicles will be accurately located using GPS technology. They will have the capability to sense objects all around the vehicle. They will use wireless systems to communicate with other vehicles and the roadside infrastructure. Eventually, they will even be able to drive themselves. The shift towards autonomous operation will lead to lighter vehicles because they will not need to be so heavily engineered for crash safety. This, in turn, will yield additional safety benefits through faster deceleration and even-lower inertial impact.
How does the autonomous vehicle technology work? And what kind of benefits will this technology bring to the automobile industry?
•Autonomous vehicle technology, enabled through connectivity, will allow vehicles to "sense" what's around them and act to either avoid a crash or decelerate to a low enough speed that any impact will not be harmful to pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicle occupants. Autonomous vehicle technology can eliminate accidents and decrease traffic congestion by dramatically reducing variation in travel times and speeds.
How much is today's economic news impacting GM's ability to maintain its R&D programs and carry them into production?
•Propulsion technology in particular is something that is very important to keep on developing, whether it's electric drive, technologies around fuel cells, or around generator sets. So we're still heavily investing in this technology, as well as some of the safety technologies, and developing them very aggressively.
What's new and coming in safety tech?
•We have in production things like adaptive cruise control, rear parking assist, and lane departure warning. But we see the future being really a combination of sensing and communications.
What do you think future vehicles will be like?
•I think future vehicles are going to be evolving toward that through a combination of sensing and wirelessly communicating with each other, and ultimately maybe even with electric motors in the wheels to provide very high degrees of maneuverability. But the sensing and communications is a critical part of vehicles that don't crash and can drive themselves, which is the future. Sensing alone is technically feasible now. We demonstrated this with the autonomous Chevy Tahoe vehicle in 2007's DARPA Urban Challenge.
What's the green angle?
•We tend to look at energy efficiency and the environment and think that means we have to make the product itself more efficient based on a test cycle. But another way it can be more efficient is to make it operate more efficiently by better traffic management. If you have vehicles that don't have to stop and start as much, if you don't have accidents as much, that will reduce congestion. So there's a lot that can be done to reduce the CO2 footprint of the fleet of vehicles out there without necessarily making the vehicles themselves more efficient.
You're talking about a lot of factors that are going to require significant cooperation beyond just GM. Does it mean that every automaker around the globe should reach agreement?
•I agree that the real benefits come when large numbers or the majority of vehicles are able to communicate with each other, and that will require cooperation, and car companies are cooperating on this activity. It's not like each car company is just doing their own thing independently. It's a little bit like with hydrogen vehicles. We compete in developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but we have to work together if we want to set standards for hydrogen vehicles, battery vehicles, in terms of charging standards and so forth. There is some level of cooperation that’s already ongoing with respect to infrastructure integration.
What is Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications?
•V2V is a GPS and wireless-based all-around object detection sensor that gives the vehicle a "sixth sense". The system supports automated safety features such as lane change alert, blind spot detection, sudden stopping, forward collision warning with automatic braking, and intersection collision warning.
What kind of technologies does OnStar use for their service?
•OnStar is a combination of leading technology and superior service through highly trained service personnel.
•The hardware and software includes Global Positioning System satellite networks, cellular phone networks, in-car computer and hands-free calling systems.
•The OnStar call center uses this technology to provide support tailored to each and every call.
