What is happening internationally when it comes to connected vehicle technology? Other regions of the world are also working on the new and emerging connected vehicle technologies, applications, and systems that hold the potential to transform transportation as we now know it. They also can see that connected vehicles offer significant benefits in terms of safety, mobility, and the environment. The United States, European Union, Japan, Australia, and Korea are all involved in the research, testing, development, and implementation of connected vehicle technology.

The US is working with the EU, Japan, and other nations on cooperative
connected vehicle research projects.

The USDOT has been reaching out and working with other countries and regions in this field for some time now. It has been officially collaborating with the European Union since 2009 and with Japan since 2011. Australia has recently joined our international harmonization task groups, and Canada and South Korea have indicated their interest and are now participating as observers of the joint efforts.

The goal of this international collaboration is to spur the growth and development of a global marketplace for connected vehicle technologies. This will encourage vehicle manufacturers and others to expand their operations and enter new markets, with all the benefits associated with these activities in terms of economic growth, the development of new industries, job creation, and more. But for this to happen, countries and regions need to harmonize their research, standards, policies, and technology. Otherwise, if countries are using different communications standards, for instance, connected vehicle technology that is used in one region wouldn't work in another part of the world. Harmonization will also help get connected vehicle technologies to markets faster, hastening their worldwide deployment.

International collaboration produces a number of other benefits. As countries share their knowledge and experiences with connected vehicles, they are able to learn lessons from each other about what does and doesn't work and avoid costly investments in areas that haven't borne fruit. Countries can also share research and development work, which avoids redundancies and reduces costs. By sharing information, countries are also able to see gaps in research that might be useful to explore. By partnering together, entities that might not be able to participate individually, such as small countries or those with limited resources, can also join in and share the benefits.

The positive outcomes that further international collaboration will enable are expected to provide major improvements on a global scale in safety, mobility, energy use, and environmental impact.