Emergency V2X Tech Funded by US Government
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded a Chicago start-up funding to develop cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology for first responders.
HAAS Alert has been given $1.1M by the DHS’ Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to develop tech for police cars, ambulances and fire trucks to alert each other and other vehicles to their presence on the road, allowing them to move out of the way. CEO Cory Hohs has previously called for such tech to be made a legal requirement for fire trucks.
These alerts take the form of messages being streamed to a connected vehicle’s driver via their telematics system and/or smartphone. Over the course of the tech development process, HAAS Alert says it hopes to consult with the S&T’s First Responder Resource Group (FRRG), a body composed of retired and current first responders. The company claims the FRRG’s feedback will give it the chance “to ensure the top-priority needs of the first responder community are met during product development”.
Claiming that civilian-first responder crashes were at record levels, Hohs commented: “This partnership with DHS S&T and the FRRG gives HAAS Alert the opportunity to further develop its C-V2X technology and bring advanced vehicle safety solutions to US roads, communities and automotive markets more quickly”.
