Page 36 - GCN, August/September 2017

Q&A CONNECTED VEHICLES
Understanding the language of connected vehicles
University of Michigan Professor Huei
Peng explains how dedicated short-range communications are powering vehicle safety and traffic optimization applications
As cities seek to incorporate connected and automated vehicle technologies into their smarter futures, they should keep an eye on the University of Michigan’s research at its Mcity test facility.
A public/private partnership between the university and Michigan’s Department of Transportation, Mcity is a 32-acre simulated environment that features urban and suburban areas — including roads with intersections, traffic lights, signs
and sidewalks — that is designed to evaluate the capabilities of connected and automated vehicles and systems. University researchers are also gathering real- world traffic data from about 30 roadside units throughout Ann Arbor.
Huei Peng, a mechanical engineering professor at the university and director of Mcity, spoke with GCN’s Matt Leonard about how cities might plan for the future of connected and automated vehicles. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
What is the enabling technology for
connected cars?
We are largely talking about DSRC: dedicated short-range communications. Frequency was set aside in 1999, and after that — 17, 18 years — there
were efforts to decide how to divide the spectrum into different channels and what should be broadcast in each channel.
Right now the standards are defined and stable. All of the top car companies sit down in Society of Automotive Engineers subcommittees to talk about it.
In the meantime, the [U.S.] Department of Transportation has a plan to require DSRC. They’re currently working on it, and, if announced, it
36 GCN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017 • GCN.COM