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Automakers Working on Car-to-Car Ad-Hoc Networks

Posted by michael on from the C2C dept.

LouCifer writes "The Register is reporting that BMW, Audi, Daimler Chrysler, Volkswagen, Renault and Fiat are working with a German government grant to help develop a standard method for car-to-car wireless networking dubbed 'NOW' (Network On Wheels). NOW is based on 802.11 and IPv6 to allow inter-vehicle communication based on ad-hoc networking to share traffic information. With routing capabilities, the hope is the vehicles will be able to warn each other - and the drivers - about bad weather, accidents and road problems. A prototype is expected by mid-2005 with field trials to start late Q1 2006."

4 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. Great.. now my car... by farsideofthemoon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    can get spam and porn too...

    --
    I know what's on your hard dr
  2. look to the future by cakefool · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Looking past the uses in TFA, one good though far off possibility is to have cars all travelling to the same route "train up" real close to each other - one lead car makes the decisions, cars can peel in and out as their route dictates etc. For long journeys, rotate the front duty, just as you see olympic cycle teams do. The long chain of cars uses less fuel than the same number of independant cars, and behaves only slightly more complex than one car.

    Obviously this is in the self drive car realm of probabilities, but hey, we might as well try.

    Oh yeah, "imagine an ad hoc network of these" jokes coming soon

  3. Re:This has been around for years by lucabrasi999 · · Score: 3, Insightful
    It's called CB radio

    Ironically, it's about as useful as a CB radio.

  4. Uh... hello Officer. by Cheap+Imitation · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Great. Now my own car can rat me out to the Trooper sitting on the overpass. He won't even have to aim the radar gun!

    How long until they combine this with the upcoming black box recorders in cars so my car can politely inform the officer that while I'm not speeding right now, I was going 15 over three miles back?

    Drat! My car is gonna look really ugly covered in tinfoil.