Delphi lands GM for vehicle-to-vehicle warning system

September 05, 2014 01:00 AM

Delphi Automotive PLC said it lined up a contract to produce a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device that will warn drivers of possible accidents.

The system will go into production in 2016 for an unnamed customer, the technology supplier said in a statement on Friday.

General Motors announced on Sunday that it was the customer for the system, installing it on the 2017 Cadillac CTS.

Delphi's wireless communications system also will be able to detect signals from roadside infrastructure, such as stoplights, stop signs or speed limit signs.

“The ability to detect and signal to the driver of danger ahead is a significant leap toward improving driver safety and traffic management,” Chief Technology Officer Jeff Owens said in a statement.

In theory, a vehicle-to-vehicle system could dramatically reduce the number of accidents -- especially in intersections where vehicles are making left-hand turns.

Radio transponders used for vehicle-to-vehicle communication typically have a range of a couple of hundred yards.

The technology could alert the motorist to upcoming hazards -- such as construction, emergency vehicles, traffic jams or accidents -- before the driver can see them.

In Ann Arbor, Mich., a research coalition lead by the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute equipped nearly 3,000 vehicles with transponders that broadcast the vehicle’s location to other cars and trucks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has endorsed the technology and is considering proposals to encourage its use.