This week’s Smart Living roundup features a legislative proposal that could potentially hinder vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, a collaboration effort to make unified charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs), and a mobile operator’s push to connect more vehicles to the Internet.

Spectrum legislation may hinder V2V communication

Car manufacturers have spent millions on technology to enable vehicles to communicate with one another in the hopes of making roads safer, but new legislation could put all these efforts in jeopardy if passed.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio from Florida and Democratic Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey authored and introduced a bill to open the 5.9GHz band to unlicensed users. The 5.9GHz band was allocated by the Federal Communications Commission to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) “Intelligent Transportation Systems.” The spectrum is intended to be used for V2V communication to prevent fatal road collisions, but the bill is asking to open up the spectrum to alleviate the network congestion experienced by consumers today.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of Global Automakers, states that opening up the spectrum is a gamble, especially when lifesaving benefits of V2V communication are within reach. Bozella wants to collaborate with the senators and other parties concerned to come up with a solution that will not gravely affect the safety and security of V2V communication.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is more open to sharing the spectrum, provided that a ‘do no harm’ approach is ensured so that no “harmful interference comes to the dedicated short range communications.”

This is not the first time that the government considered opening up the spectrum.   Last year, under pressure from the Obama Administration to decongest the airwaves, the FCC considered opening up the spectrum but was not successful.

Electric car manufacturers collaborate on charging tech

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk recently announced that his company will allow competitors free access to its patents to promote electric vehicles. Nissan and BMW, two of the biggest electric vehicle manufacturers, are said to be collaborating with Tesla to develop a universal charging network to better suit EV drivers.

Right now, consumers still face the problem of finding charging stations specific to their brand of electronic vehicles.  According to reports, the collaboration between these three car companies will address the issue of brand-specific charging stations. This ultimately means better value for EVs and better mileage for the owners.

Vodafone to acquire Cobra Automotive

Vodafone has agreed to acquire Cobra Automotive, an Italian company that specializes in connected car technology.  The deal will put Cobra’s valuation at €145 million or $197 million. This could help Vodafone grow outside the traditional mobile market as more things connect to the Internet.

Currently, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Renault are the telematics partners of Cobra, and the company develops anti-theft and parking assist systems for Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen, and other car manufacturers.

“We plan to invest in the business to offer our automotive and insurance customers a full range of telematics services,” Erik Brenneis, Vodafone’s director of machine-to-machine, said.

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