Toyota is ditching part of its big V2V initiative for now, report says
The company is going back on its plans to have DSRC-based vehicle-to-vehicle communications in its cars over concerns for the security of the tech.
Reuters reported on Friday that Toyota would be pulling the plug on its plans to install DSRC (dedicated short-range communications) technology in its cars by 2021. The system would have been used as the basis for a network of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications that would have theoretically reduced crashes.
Toyota's reasons for abandoning its plans mostly center on a lack of security for the dedicated 5.9GHz frequency that the US government set aside for the technology as well as other manufacturers' lack of commitment to the tech.
That isn't to say that other manufacturers haven't investigated DSRC -- Cadillac has installed the system on a few CTS models since 2017 -- but many, like Ford, have opted to go with a cellular data-based system which it plans to roll out to its vehicles by 2022.
Back in 2016, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) recommended that DSRC be mandated for inclusion in all new vehicles, but the Trump administration seems to have mostly ignored that recommendation.
Toyota didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
