In a collaborative effort, 19 prominent companies from the automotive, bicycle and technology sectors, including Bosch, Trek, Shimano, Gazelle and BMC, have joined forces to champion the development of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X) communication technology.
The collective initiative aims to make the roads safer for vulnerable users by integrating communication technology into various electric vehicles. Together, they have committed to deploying V2X technology in collaboration with original equipment manufacturer partners.
Currently, cyclists account for 1% of trips in the United States but make up 2% of fatalities with over 130,000 injuries annually.
How it works
When a bicycle approaches a junction, it will send an alert to a nearby driver who may not have a clear line of sight to the cyclist.
Reciprocally, the cyclist will receive an alert, typically on the e-bike’s dashboard or another device.
Onn Haran, Founder and CTO of Autotalks, who is also the inventor of the world’s first V2X chipset, told Zag Daily: “V2X technology refers to the direct communication between vehicles and other road users, such as other vehicles, cyclists, and infrastructure. It allows vehicles and bicycles to share information about their speed, location, and direction, as well as receive real-time information about road conditions.
“V2X solves the prime reason for bicycle accidents: ‘failure to see’ by making drivers aware of cyclists even if hidden behind the corner or obstructed by other vehicles. A vehicle with V2X continuously monitors all bicycles with V2X in proximity and warns the driver when a bicycle is about to enter the vehicle’s path. Information from a smart intersection, capable of detecting bicycles, can also be used to warn vehicles with V2X.”
While the technology has the potential to prevent collisions autonomously in the future, the current focus is on creating an ecosystem around V2X, aligning with the U.S. Department for Transportation’s vision.
