Wireless technology revolutionizing autos

Since the basic equipment needed for a car is a radio and a GPS unit, car manufacturers said VII should add little to a car's price tag -- less than $100, says Stephan Speth, DaimlerChrysler's director of vehicle compliance and safety affairs.

It's the cost and funding of the companion roadside technology that's uncertain. While DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors all were involved in small-scale pilot projects with states or smaller jurisdictions, a national project could be daunting. A national VII coalition hopes to recommend to Congress in 2008 whether to go forward with national deployment.

Other challenges include system security data access and privacy. "We need to be sure the driver's privacy is protected. That no one knows where you go when you leave your driveway," Freitas says. DaimlerChrysler's Speth agrees. "It won't do any good to have a system like this in the field if people ask for a button to turn it off."

Despite the challenges, the timeline is optimistic. In a CAR survey of the auto industry's expectations for the rollout of VII technology in new cars, 2012 was the median year respondents said auto companies would begin outfitting new cars with the technology. Just four years later, by 2016, 50 percent of new cars would be so equipped, respondents predicted. Full roadside deployment across the U.S. --  all interstates, paved state highways and local roads -- is expected by 2035.