Connected vehicles: A guide to V2V and V2X technology

Connected vehicles are no longer a futuristic concept. They’re already on the road and shaping how fleets operate today. If you’re using tools like real-time traffic routing, blind spot monitoring, lane departure alerts or automatic emergency braking, you’re already using connected vehicle technology.

And adoption is accelerating fast. Among the 290 million vehicles in the United States, approximately 84 million were connected cars as of 2021, according to a Federal Highway Administration report.¹ And that number continues to grow, with 75% of new vehicles sold in the past year including embedded connectivity.²

As more vehicles come online, connected technology is improving safety, efficiency and decision-making, not just for individual drivers, but across entire operations.

While many drivers experience connected features inside the cab, fleets benefit even more when vehicles communicate beyond the windshield with other vehicles, roadside systems and cloud-based platforms. Understanding how connected vehicles work, and how V2V and V2X technologies fit into that picture, can help organizations plan for the future while using current connected vehicle solutions to improve daily operations.

What are connected vehicles?

A connected vehicle is any vehicle capable of sending, receiving and processing digital data. While the basic requirement is an internet connection, modern connected fleets rely on a combination of onboard sensors, software and communication systems that work together to collect data from the vehicle and share it with other systems.

These connected vehicles continuously exchange information about location, speed, engine health, driver-assistance activity and environmental conditions. That data flows between the vehicle, roadside infrastructure, other vehicles and cloud platforms to support real-time decision-making and automated alerts.

Most connectivity is enabled through one of two methods behind the scenes:

• Embedded connectivity: Built-in modems and SIM cards that allow a vehicle to connect directly to the internet without external devices.
• Tethered connectivity: Connectivity delivered through an external device, such as a smartphone or aftermarket telematics unit, often used to extend connected capabilities to older vehicles.

Regardless of the connection type, the purpose is to create a two-way data stream that helps fleets improve safety, visibility and uptime. It’s also distinct from automation. Automated or autonomous vehicles perform driving tasks with limited or no human input, while connected vehicles focus on communication and data exchange — a capability used across fleets with human drivers.

In general, operating a fleet of connected vehicles helps organizations better serve customers, bolster efficiency, promote safer driving habits and manage a more reliable return on assets and vehicles. For fleets, connected vehicle data can help improve visibility, reduce unplanned downtime, support safer driving and strengthen route planning.

Today’s connected fleets use many of these features within fleet management to monitor utilization, reduce downtime and improve driver safety. As connectivity expands, these vehicles can also interact with external sources, enabling a broader set of use cases.

Thinking about fleet management but not sure what your fleet needs? Our buyer’s guide walks you through it all.

How V2V technology works

As connectivity expands beyond the vehicle itself, fleets can gain deeper awareness of what’s happening on the road, anticipate risk and respond more efficiently. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication allows vehicles to “talk” to each other directly about things like speed, braking and position. That data is then used to alert drivers of potential dangers, helping to reduce accidents and traffic congestion. This might include an alert that another vehicle is about to run a red light in an intersection you’re approaching or a warning that a vehicle in your blind spot is accelerating quickly.

V2V systems exchange data to support scenarios like:

• Hard-braking alerts when a vehicle ahead slows suddenly
• Intersection movement warnings at obstructed crossings
• Blind-spot and lane-change notifications from nearby vehicles
• Forward-collision warnings beyond a driver’s field of view

For fleets, V2V can:

• Improve driver reaction time in dense or unpredictable traffic
• Reduce rear-end and side-impact collisions
• Support advanced driver-assistance systems already in use
• Enhance safety without requiring additional manual input

While V2V adoption is still growing, its safety applications align with technology many fleets already use, such as in-cab alerts and video-based coaching.

How V2X technology works

Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology expands communication beyond other vehicles to include infrastructure, networks and vulnerable road users. V2X includes several categories, such as:

• Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I): communication with traffic signals, work zones and road sensors. With this technology, a traffic signal sends an advanced warning to a car that a light is turning red or a smart work-zone sign alerts vehicles to lane closures.
• Vehicle-to-network (V2N): data shared through cellular or cloud platforms. This includes crowd-sourced traffic updates or a delivery van sending location data so dispatch can adjust routes.
• Vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P): alerts involving pedestrians or cyclists using connected devices. Here, a pedestrian’s smartphone may broadcast their position to nearby vehicles, triggering an alert for drivers if they step into a crosswalk unexpectedly.
• Vehicle-to-grid (V2G): allows bidirectional charging, enabling EVs to send stored energy back to the electrical grid during peak demand to support load balancing and grid stability. This could include electric fleet vans plugged in overnight sending excess stored energy back to the utility grid.
• Vehicle-to-cloud (V2C): direct communication with cloud services for navigation, software updates, analytics and data offloading. With this technology, an electric vehicle receives an over-the-air software update or a truck downloads the latest navigation data on road closures from the cloud before driving.
• Platooning: connects two or more trucks in a caravan to lower fuel consumption and Co2 emissions, improve safety with automatic braking and increase efficiency. Two or more trucks on a highway may travel closely together and synchronize braking and accelerating to reduce drag and save fuel.

For fleets, V2X can help:

• Help improve traffic flow using real-time infrastructure data
• Reduce fuel use on a large scale by alleviating overall traffic congestion and stop-and-go driving
• Support safety through greater driver awareness
• Sets the foundation for future advancements in intelligent transportation systems

V2X represents the next phase of connected mobility with potential benefits that increase as infrastructure and vehicle technology advance.

Connected vehicle benefits for fleets

Connected vehicle technology helps organizations improve safety, efficiency and long-term performance by turning real-time road and vehicle data into actionable decisions. As more trucks and assets become connected, fleets gain deeper visibility into how vehicles are used, where delays happen and what risks may be developing.

Benefits for fleet operations include:

• Reducing crashes through earlier warnings and actionable alerts: Connected systems can provide hazard notifications, driver coaching and safety insights that help prevent incidents and support fleet safety.
• Lowering maintenance costs with diagnostic insights and trend data: Access to engine diagnostics and diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) helps identify issues sooner, plan preventive maintenance and avoid breakdowns, extended downtime or costly repairs.
• Improving routing, utilization and dispatch: Near real-time location and status data allow fleets to assign the nearest vehicle, avoid traffic delays, monitor asset utilization rates and build more efficient schedules across regions.
• Supporting compliance and documentation: Connectivity helps ensure required inspections, rest breaks and temperature-sensitive shipments are tracked accurately, while electronic records streamline hours-of-duty management and reporting needs.
• Strengthening safety culture with visibility and coaching: Managers can review performance trends, spot risky behaviors and use footage or data to support accountability, constructive feedback and consistent training.
• Streamlining office workflows: Digital work orders, GPS-verified job status and electronic signatures reduce paperwork and help teams close out jobs faster with more accurate records.
• Supporting sustainability goals by reducing idle time and fuel burn: Insights into idling, speeding and routing help fleets improve fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

As connectivity expands, fleets can move from reactive decision-making to more predictive, proactive operations, improving reliability today while preparing for the future of V2V and V2X communication.

What connected vehicle technology means for the future

Connected vehicles are evolving alongside advances in infrastructure, automation and data sharing. While full V2X adoption will take time, fleets can benefit today from tools already available — including GPS tracking, remote diagnostics, AI-powered video and integrated safety platforms.

As more roadways adopt connected infrastructure and data standards mature, organizations will gain access to:

• More precise routing and traffic coordination
• Faster incident response and recovery
• Enhanced protection for vulnerable road users
• Stronger integration with municipal and regional systems

For now, building a connected fleet using available technologies positions organizations to take advantage of what’s here today — while preparing for what’s next.

If you want to see how Verizon Connect can help build your connected fleet, book a demo today.

Sources

¹ Maricopa Association of Governments Finds Value in Connected Car Data, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration 

² Counterpoint Research