GM connected vehicle development hits Ann Arbor roads for real-testing

GM announced today that it has started to test vehicle-to-vehicle communications on Ann Arbor roads as a part of its V2V infrastructure communications technology development. GM provided 8 specially equipped Buick and Cadillacs for a year of real-world-testing.

The V2V-equipped Buick and Cadillac cars will become part of a larger fleet of passenger cars, commercial trucks and transit vehicles participating in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment Program.

Starting late 2013, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) will use data collected by these vehicles to measure overall benefits of the system. If all goes well, it could enter wide-scale deployment before the end of the decade.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority, and this research could save lives and prevent injuries across America,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a transportation department press release about the project. “With more than 30,000 people a year killed on our nation’s roads, we need to keep looking for new ways to improve safety and reduce fatalities.”

Check out the video after the jump.

– By: Omar Rana