India is set to mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology in all motor vehicles, a move aimed at dramatically improving road safety and fostering intelligent mobility. This advanced system will allow cars and buses to automatically exchange crucial data, such as their distance from one another, thereby significantly reducing the risk of collisions. Furthermore, V2V technology will enhance traffic management by optimizing signal timings and toll booth operations and will provide timely alerts about pedestrians, cyclists, and potential road hazards. Vehicles will be equipped with onboard units running on Cellular-Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, capable of sending automatic safety warnings like emergency brake alerts and forward collision warnings. The government has established the AIS-230 standard to govern the minimum technical, functional, and cybersecurity requirements for these systems. The phased rollout begins in October of next year, with a complete mandatory compliance deadline set for October 1, 2028, paving the way for a safer and more connected transportation ecosystem in India.

India is set to mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology in all motor vehicles, a move aimed at dramatically improving road safety and fostering intelligent mobility. This advanced system will allow cars and buses to automatically exchange crucial data, such as their distance from one another, thereby significantly reducing the risk of collisions. Furthermore, V2V technology will enhance traffic management by optimizing signal timings and toll booth operations and will provide timely alerts about pedestrians, cyclists, and potential road hazards. Vehicles will be equipped with onboard units running on Cellular-Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, capable of sending automatic safety warnings like emergency brake alerts and forward collision warnings. The government has established the AIS-230 standard to govern the minimum technical, functional, and cybersecurity requirements for these systems. The phased rollout begins in October of next year, with a complete mandatory compliance deadline set for October 1, 2028, paving the way for a safer and more connected transportation ecosystem in India.

India is set to mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology in all motor vehicles, a move aimed at dramatically improving road safety and fostering intelligent mobility. This advanced system will allow cars and buses to automatically exchange crucial data, such as their distance from one another, thereby significantly reducing the risk of collisions. Furthermore, V2V technology will enhance traffic management by optimizing signal timings and toll booth operations and will provide timely alerts about pedestrians, cyclists, and potential road hazards. Vehicles will be equipped with onboard units running on Cellular-Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology, capable of sending automatic safety warnings like emergency brake alerts and forward collision warnings. The government has established the AIS-230 standard to govern the minimum technical, functional, and cybersecurity requirements for these systems. The phased rollout begins in October of next year, with a complete mandatory compliance deadline set for October 1, 2028, paving the way for a safer and more connected transportation ecosystem in India.

Even as the E20 controversy rages on, Nitin Gadkari has come up with his latest brainwave — cars and buses that talk to each other.

And no, this is no sci-fi imagination, nor has Gadkari made us all enter a Disney franchise. It is very much in the Indian government’s vision of a future that is more immediate than you think.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued a draft notification ordering vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications in motor vehicles in the country. The mandatory, phased implementation starts in October next year.

In simple terms, the system, once it is installed and active in vehicles, will automatically exchange information, including distance between each other (which could help prevent accidents), plan for traffic signals and toll booths, manage for the presence of pedestrians and cyclists around as well as the state of the road infra ahead.

In other words, think of it as similar to the mid-air collision avoidance systems that commercial airplanes have. The software on the onboard units working on cellular-vehicle-to-everything technology, or C-V2X, will eventually provide automatic safety use cases like emergency brake alert, forward collision warning, wrong-way driving and even alerts that emergency vehicles are on the route.

The standard will be the government's approved AIS-230, which specifies minimum technical, functional performance and cybersecurity requirements for such V2V technology-powered vehicles.

“AIS-230 has been developed with enabling features to specify the minimum technical, functional, performance, environmental and security requirements for V2V communication systems installed in vehicles operating on Indian roads,” said a statement from the ministry, which added, “The proposed framework is expected to improve vehicle situational awareness, facilitate timely safety warnings and strengthen the use of connected technologies for reducing road-accident risks.

The Centre's Technical Committee on motor vehicles had authorised the usage of V2V at its May meeting. The telecom department has already exempted the 5.875—5.925 GHz frequency band from licensing requirements, in preparation for V2V.

The present notification calls for comments and suggestions for a month, after which a final notification will be issued by the ministry. Presently, it covers almost the entire gamut, from mopeds and auto rickshaws to bikes and scooters, cars and SUVs as well as goods carriers, buses and trucks.

As per the timeline proposed, vehicles made after October 1 next year will be required to comply with AIS-230 if they already have V2V systems. And from October 1, 2028, the new technology will be mandatory for all vehicles.

Rohit Suri, former president and CEO of Jaguar-Land Rover and presently chief business advisor with ReadyAssist, feels the proposed V2V is much more than a safety feature.

“The real value lies in creating an intelligent mobility network where vehicles, infrastructure, emergency services and mobility partners can seamlessly exchange information. This will lead to more informed decision-making, proactive roadside assistance and better traffic management.”

He also added, “Its success in India will depend on how effectively the ecosystem is implemented at scale.”

Such rapid rollouts also call into question the infrastructure in place — besides the road network, cellular connectivity in general and signal quality in particular will be crucial in its success. Cybersecurity is another important aspect to be ensured, considering the universal rollout and the disastrous consequences if such systems are hacked or played around with.

“The success of this transition will depend on common technical standards, secure communication infrastructure and close collaboration across the automotive ecosystem, enabling India to strengthen its capabilities in connected mobility and build a safer, smarter transportation network,” said Suresh D, Group CTO and CEO of the technical division of automotive giant Spark Minda.

Ironically, most auto major heads or industry body SIAM are yet to react to the government announcement.

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