Ready for the ‘connected car’?

A GreenGT electric sports car will be the centerpiece of a networked car workshop organized by the International Telecommunications Union at the premier Geneva Motor Show this week. The vehicle, expected to be the first electric vehicle to race at LeMans, is intended to draw attention to intelligent transport systems that would communicate wirelessly with vehicles on the road. These systems would alert drivers to skidding vehicles ahead of them, automatically contact emergency services in the event of an accident and potentially, could even help drivers find and reserve parking spaces in crowded urban areas, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“Your car becomes more fully integrated with the road infrastructure and communications network,” ITU Senior Press Officer Toby Johnson told Connected Planet.

The ITU, which has had a committee focused on intelligent transport systems for more than five years, has run several workshops at the Geneva event in an effort to generate greater interest in networked vehicles on the part of auto makers.

“There is a will from manufacturers to implement these technologies but thus far no real breakthrough in terms of standards needed to roll this out on a global scale,” Johnson said. “Global car manufacturers don’t want to create different versions of this technology for every different market.”

Intelligent transport systems would not need new spectrum but instead could ride on WiMax, LTE or even GSM or WiFi networks, Johnson said. Some applications, such as the parking space reservation system, also would require the installation of sensors in the streets. Sounds like an opportunity for someone, but who?

“Operators are carrying the traffic but whether they do more or whether it’s in their interest to do more is unclear,” Johnson said. “It could be a policy-level issue.”

One of the new areas to be explored in the workshop this year is the possibility of linking the batteries in electric vehicles with smart power grids. “The alliance is looking to use the capacity in the car batteries as storage in the network,” said Johnson.

Intelligent transport systems could get a bit more traction in the U.S. than they have in the past as they could be eligible for stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.