WiFi standards will increase smart mobility as well as road safety for ag machines in Europe

The  European Commission, fully aware of the benefits of car-2-car communication to advance smart mobility and improve road safety, has taken a step forward. The WiFi standard IEEE 802.11p has proven that it works and can be deployed to ensure seamless communication for connected vehicles. The new delegated act supplementing Directive 2010/40/EU has set the suitable legal framework regarding the deployment and operational use of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems  C- ITS, where agricultural machinery also takes its part when driving on public roads.

The agricultural machinery industry CEMA and the Agricultural Industry electronics Industry AEF fully support the initiative. The WiFi standard IEEE 802.11p will establish communication between agricultural vehicles and will serve as a tool to prevent accidents between unaware road users and heavy agricultural machinery crossing dark field road.

The agricultural machinery industry sees as a prerequisite to utilise technology developed for the automotive as a bigger sector. It provides assurance of continuous update/improvement, integration in modern vehicles, and the possibility to connect vehicles of different sectors.

Tractor to Car communication

The Standardisation Institute ETSI run a pilot project in October 2018 which demonstrated that tractor to car communication is possible. The tractor sends the warning and the car receives it upon which the driver can act accordingly. Works are advancing to also allow car to tractor communication.