Five Reasons Why We Benefit from V2X

With the help of Vehicle-to-X technology, cars can communicate with their surroundings across distances of approximately one mile. Here is how it makes driving better for all of us.

1. Increased traffic safety
   Each year more than 1.2 million people die in traffic accidents worldwide. And most of the accidents are caused by human error. Vehicle-to-X technology (V2X) helps to reduce the number of deaths by making the invisible, visible. An electronic emergency brake light, for example, warns the driver that a vehicle that is nearby but not visible is beginning to brake. V2X can also help to detect road hazards or vulnerable pedestrians and cyclists. Smart cars can brake before human drivers react, and alert the vehicles behind them to reduce their speed. The US DOT estimates that V2X would save >1,000 lives / year and reduce 2.3 million non-fatal injuries.

2. Time savings
   V2X technology helps optimize traffic flow and reduce traffic congestion. This saves time for everyone. When cars communicate with road signs, traffic lights, other vehicles and traffic management centers, they automatically know the best route from A to B. For example, traffic lights can tell cars at which speed they have to travel in order to catch the green light. Connected cars can also provide transport authorities with real-time traffic data for better road management and improved infrastructure planning.

3. Money savings
   A more efficient, safer transportation system can help to save money: According to US DOT, V2X would save society $871 billion annually in the U.S. Blocked roads lower productivity, cause delays in supply chains and increase the cost of doing business. In Europe, congested roads cost nearly 100 billion euros annually. With V2X technology, vehicles can detect congestion-causing factors in advance and react accordingly. Real-time data can be combined with simulation models to optimize routes and make journeys faster and more efficient.

4. Environmental factors
   V2X helps lessen the environmental impact of transportation. Platooning, for example, allows self-driving cars or trucks to follow each other with very little distance between the vehicles. This technique can lead to less fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. Cars traveling in free-flow conditions also use less fuel, so they create fewer emissions.

5. Convenience
   With V2X comes a new level of comfort as it allows drivers to see well ahead and sense hazards, traffic jams or road blocks far beyond the driver’s line of sight. This will help to make car travel more fun and convenient than ever before.