Connected vehicle research is an important aspect of deploying autonomous technology, as cars that can communicate information to other vehicles on the road could reduce traffic congestion and accidents.
In 2015 Torc was part of a team led by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to develop and test a fleet of connected vehicles. The video below discusses the project and highlights the successful demonstration of a platoon of cars adjusting speed and position as a fleet and braking in unison.
The cars were equipped with Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) which enables communication between vehicles. An FHWA newsletter article on the demonstration reports that “CACC eliminates lag time between vehicle communications (such as reaction time by human drivers or time required by radar-sensing vehicles) which may prevent collisions that are caused by delays in reaction times after sudden breaking or stopping.”
This video by the FHWA highlights some of the results of that CACC test, an effort that continues today. In the future, vehicles could not only be connected to each other, but also to traffic control devices, providing valuable information about situations on the road ahead.