VW’s accident-prevention innovation praised by experts

Written by: Simon Pavey, Last updated:14th February 2022

Car driving at night with wifi graphics indicating connectivity

Volkswagen has received a prestigious award for an innovative new safety feature, which it is bringing in on a range of models and is showcased in the all-new Golf.

Car2X technology is based on the Wi-Fi wireless standard, which is specifically tailored to communicate between vehicles, rather than using the mobile phone network.

This means blanket coverage wherever possible, with cars up to 800 metres apart being able to directly exchange positioning data.

Warnings within fractions of a second

Each equipped vehicle will have the ability to warn others of danger within milliseconds, as well as connecting with traffic infrastructure.

In tests, safety body Euro NCAP put the system through eight hazardous situations that drivers could find themselves in but that they would not normally have time to react to.

In all eight scenarios, Car2X technology was able to successfully warn the driver of hazards, often up to 11 seconds before an impending accident.

Euro NCAP has called the new technology “a technical milestone” and gave special recognition to the traffic hazard alert function.

The new Golf will be the first European car to come equipped with Car2X as standard, but it is eventually to be rolled out to other brands and manufacturers.

Michiel van Ratingen from Euro NCAP said: “This is an exciting area of safety. Volkswagen are to be congratulated for making the technology standard in vehicles selling in high numbers like the Golf.”

At present, Car2X is only active at speeds over 80 kilometres per hour, but work is being done to refine it further so it can boost safety in city traffic situations. It will also become improved as more participants connect.

Jenny Smith, general manager for Tele-Gence, commented: “This is a great achievement for Volkswagen. It is exciting to think that a new system with the possibility to boost safety levels so much is already being rolled out. We’re looking forward to having a go!”

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