V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle ) V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure)
Transparent Mobility: an integrated system that connects pedestrians, vehicles and infrastructures
Sergio Pininfarina
all information currently transmitted by existing infrastructure (traffic lights, road signs) will be displayed inside the vehicle, Pininfarina ©
Safety, smog, traffic noise and the aesthetic impact of infrastructures are issues that require innovative solutions, and the situation calls for immediate action. Just consider the fact that in the last ten years alone, all the safety systems installed on cars – including seatbelts, airbags, ESP and ABS – have actually led to an increase in emissions, as cars get heavier and increasingly sophisticated. This has obvious consequences on the environment, especially when it comes to big cities.
Thanks to decentralized telematic networks the circulation system will become a kind of ‘living connective tissue’
The cars of the future are set to feature safety systems which are entirely revolutionary: from V2V (vehicle to vehicle) to V2I (vehicle to infrastructure), these are systems similar to those used on trains, where seatbelts and airbags are not present. Also known as “Transparent Mobility”, this solution regards not only the interior of the individual vehicle, but the entire circulation context: pedestrians, other vehicles and infrastructures. By way of example, imagine a continuous surface linking the front bumper with the roof, taking in the radiator, windscreen and photovoltaic cells that ensure that communication with the vehicle is always active.
Cars will be able to communicate with each other and select the best route thanks to a short range radar. In the V2V and V2I scenario, the cars will play the role of nerve cells, in a process of dynamic communications that resembles a “living connective tissue”.
All this will be possible thanks to decentralized telematic networks, functioning like a short range radio, over a distance of 1.2 to 1.6 kilometres as the crow flies, receiving information regarding pressure on the brake pedal, for example. In this way drivers will receive reliable data about the distance and direction of other vehicles. One of the main consequences would be eliminating most traffic lights: the car warns the driver if other cars are approaching, and in hazardous situations the car would be able to act intelligently. But this not only regards other cars. It will be safer for pedestrians too. Cars will have four miniature radios (the size of a stamp) positioned at the four corners of the vehicle, to detect “human presence”.
In a distant or not so distant future, when pollution and the price of petrol mean it is no longer a viable option, electric and hydrogen-powered cars will ensure both environmental benefits and a reduction in noise levels. Then at last we will be able to enjoy cleaner, quieter cities.
