Multinational automotive manufacturer Toyota has decided to pause the deployment of V2X technology in its vehicles.
Last April Toyota announced that it would deploy Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) systems on vehicles sold in the United States starting in 2021.
The company also encouraged other automakers and transportation infrastructure owners and operators to quickly commit to DSRC technology in the United States to realize the full safety and traffic flow benefits of the technology.
However in a recent letter written by Toyota’s Director, Technology and Innovation Policy, Hilary M. Cain said, ‘Although there continues to be general excitement about DSRC and the benefits of widespread deployment among key stakeholders, since our product announcement, we have not seen significant production commitments from other automakers.’
Cain continued to say that the cooperative safety benefits of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication would not be fully realized without greater automotive industry commitment to deploy the technology.
The letter also stated that the regulatory environment surrounding the 5.9 GHz band has become even more uncertain and unstable and that for this reason, unpredictability around whether DSRC will continue to have access full access to the entire band poses a significant challenge to the real-world deployment of a collision avoidance technology.
‘For these reasons, at this time, Toyota has decided to pause its deployment. We will continue to re-evaluate the deployment environment as we continue our work toward creating a safer and more efficient driving ecosystem,’ said Cain.
ITS America commented on Toyota’s decision saying, ‘We appreciate Toyota’s leadership and commitment to life-saving vehicle to everything (V2X) technology. We are disappointed that the current regulatory uncertainty led to today’s letter notifying the FCC of Toyota’s decision to pause V2X deployment plans.’
‘Sadly, the real tragedy is that 100 people will continue to die every day on U.S. roadways. It is imperative that the FCC provide clear guidance and certainty to the private sector companies and road operators that are trying to create a safer environment by deploying V2X communications.’
