Mercedes Benz

Warning motorists of the end of a traffic jam over the brow of a hill or alerting them to black ice on bridges long before they reach the dangerous spot concerned – this is all set to become reality in the near future with Car-to-X communication. A breakthrough in the wireless exchange of information among vehicles and between vehicles and the traffic infrastructure has now been achieved by a research consortium headed by Daimler AG.


Following three years of intensive research work, Daimler and the involved project partners are presenting the current status of the simTD project in Friedberg/Hesse today. It is also announcing the launch of the largest field trial for Car-to-X communication worldwide: from the spring of 2012, around 120 vehicles will be testing the new technology in real road traffic in the Rhine-Main region. "We are convinced that Car-to-X communication represents an important step on the way to accident-free driving," observes simTD overall project coordinator Dr. Christian Weiß, who also heads the Cooperating Systems team in the Research and Advance Development department at Daimler AG.

The use of Car-to-X systems extends the vehicle's field of vision – the "telematic horizon" – substantially. In addition to safety-related applications, comfort functions such as suggested routes to the nearest available car park can also be realised. By enabling traffic signal systems to be controlled according to prevailing requirements, Car-to-X communication can also help to optimise traffic flows, thereby contributing to efficient and thus sustainable mobility.

In Germany, the simTD research project (Safe Intelligent Mobility – test field Germany) is examining the everyday practicality of Car-to-X communication under the direction of Daimler AG.
As a pioneer in the field of vehicle and traffic safety, Car-to-X communication and the resultant assistance systems are a matter of high priority for Daimler. Against this background, the Group is contributing the largest individual share of funding among the industrial partners involved in the simTD research project and has provided the most vehicles for the test drives conducted to date. The importance of Car-to-X communication to Daimler is also demonstrated by its long-standing involvement in other projects relating to this area. The company is a founding member of the CAR 2 CAR Communication Consortium, for example, and plays an active role in promoting the standardisation of technology in the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

simTD is a joint project involving German automobile manufacturers, automotive parts suppliers, communications companies, research institutes and the public sector. simTD is being sponsored and supported by the Federal Ministries of Economics and Technology, Education and Research, Transport, Building and Urban Affairs and the Federal State of Hesse.

Source: Daimler AG

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