Connected Cars

Wireless technology usage has exploded during this decade, but autos haven't adopted much beyond cellular communications. That may change as automakers and others explore the possibility of bringing Wi-Fi to the car and government researchers consider a wireless infrastructure that could make highways safer.

Prognosticators predict wireless technologies will one day make it possible to download the latest movies, maps or music at gas stations or other sites, eliminating the need for transporting media like DVDs, CDs or MP3 players. Most observers don't expect Wi-Fi to see broad acceptance for a few years, which may open the door for WiMax, which has longer distances and more bandwidth.

In a broader research program, the U.S. Department of Transportation is working with a number of groups to develop a network that would pull information from cars. By sending information to an infrastructure or to other vehicles, safety could be improved on blind corners and other places.

Vehicle makers are pondering a number of technical and legal issues which must be addressed before they make their move. One of the biggest challenges is to match the rapid changes of commuting technologies to the long life cycles for cars. Auto lead times are two to four years, and vehicle lifetimes are around a decade, so there's concern about adopting a technology that won't have product support.

And there are always questions about the technology. There's still a debate whether even the newest Wi-Fi, 8-2.11g, has enough bandwidth to download a 4.5 Gbyte DVD file during a quick gas station stop. Station owners don't relish the idea of movie buyers blocking gas pumps while they wait for a download to finish.

WiMax, an emerging IEEE standard that's compatible with Wi-Fi, could provide a solution. With more bandwidth and distances measured in miles instead of meters, it could make movie downloads viable. There's also talk of systems that hand off communications like cell phones, which opens doors for interactive communications, making Internet connections viable.

	Tomorrow's vehicles could bring in internet feeds or download movies using wireless networks.

Another critical issue for autos is power consumption. Battery power is limited in today's electronics-laden cars, so chips left running when the vehicle is turned off can't be big consumers.

"Wi-Fi technology is kind of power hungry," says Jack Morgan, automotive marketing director for Philips North America.

He notes that Wi-Fi won't drain enough battery power to create a problem during a fuel stop. But downloading a couple movies from a home PC to a garaged vehicle the night before a trip could pose problems.

"You might find your battery is not up to that," Morgan says.

Though most development focuses on sending Wi-Fi to stationary vehicles, the Speedray 3000 from antenna maker Raysat, Inc. of Vienna, VA, brings in signals that will link Wi-Fi-compatible products to the Web even while the vehicle is moving. However, these devices will typically be PCs or PDAs, not devices built into the car.

Legal concerns

While the technical challenges are not small, many observers note that copyright laws for intellectual property may be a larger concern.

"The real issue is digital rights management," Morgan says.

Creators and suppliers of movies and music want to be sure that they're getting paid for each use of their material, and they want to make sure their creations aren't pirated. This issue is discussed when automakers talk about downloading MP3 files to the vehicle, and it only becomes more of an issue when movies and a new distribution technique are added.

While the technique for getting large files into the vehicle is a major concern, observers also note that there's got to be some place to store those files. Though there's a lot of interest in putting disk drives or flash memory into radios or navigation systems, this change won't happen overnight. Market researchers at IDC of Framingham, MA, estimate that only 2.4 million drives were purchased by automotive companies last year, rising to only 8.5 million in 2009.

Systems designed to store movies will probably opt for disk drives, which offer far higher capacities than Flash can provide at lower cost per Gbyte. Toshiba recently unveiled a 40-Gbyte, 2.5-inch drive aimed at automotive infotainment applications.

However, Flash memory is tracking Moore's law to provide higher capacities and lower costs to gain acceptance in audio units. At the recent Consumer Electronics show, both Pioneer and Samsung unveiled XM-compatible radios which use Flash memory to store up to 50 hours of MP3 files.

Roadside network

	Tomorrow's vehicles could bring in internet feeds or download movies using wireless networks.

While commercial entities focus on getting data into the car, the Department of Transportation feels safety and traffic flow can be improved if cars send information to an infrastructure of roadside stations. The Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) Initiative will use wireless links for intersection collision avoidance, telling stations that a vehicle is approaching from a blind intersection, for example. Vehicles will also be able to provide data on the density and speed of traffic, so roadside signs can let users know about backups before they get onto a highway.

Though this is a long-term project, the Federal Communications Commission already has a roadside unit registration process for Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) in the 5.9 GHz band.

Demonstrations later this year will test concepts, helping the DOT and many other groups involved in the project as they near the 2008 deadline for a decision on whether or not to roll out a nationwide VII system. If it's a go, it will take years before results are truly realized, since a fair percentage of cars must provide input for traffic data or intersection collision avoidance to be viable.

There's a chance that other technologies could provide somewhat similar results with less infrastructure. Last fall, GM demonstrated its vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) link, which lets cars send signals to each other. This will help on freeways, sounding a signal when a driver begins switching lanes when a vehicle is in a blind spot, for example. V2V-equipped vehicles could also sound alerts when there's a slowdown ahead, giving drivers time to avoid rear-ending a vehicle slowed by an accident or other obstruction.