U.S. Department of Transportation Encourages SEMA Members to Enter V2V Competition

SEMA officials met with Peter Appel, administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) to discuss vehicle-to-vehicle technology (V2V) and other advanced auto electronics. SEMA is working with the RITA leadership to promote the industry’s contributions to V2V technologies. Connected vehicles have the potential to avoid crashes and make the transportation grid more efficient.

Among its programs, RITA announced a new nationwide competition seeking ideas for using wireless connectivity between vehicles to make transportation safer, greener and easier. During the Connected Vehicle Technology Challenge competition, RITA will accept ideas for products and applications that use Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC)—a fast, secure wireless technology. The Challenge is a great opportunity for SEMA members to showcase their use of cutting-edge technology. Six awardees will receive a free trip to Orlando where they will be honored as speakers at a special session at the 2011 World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems, which will be held from October 16–20, 2011. The deadline for submitting competition ideas is May 1. For more information on the Challenge or to submit an idea, please click here.

For more information, please contact Stuart Gosswein, senior director of federal affairs, at stuartg@sema.org or John Waraniak, vice president of vehicle technology, at johnw@sema.org.