Rebecca Gibson |
What are the main benefits of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication?
Most benefits come from increased road safety and traffic efficiency. The technology’s dual communication mode enables data exchange between vehicles, and between vehicles, pedestrians and road infrastructures, either directly or via networks. This enables drivers and pedestrians to receive warnings about impending danger or roadworks and navigation or parking information. Meanwhile, cities and road operators can use the data to control traffic more efficiently. A recent study by Dutch research organisation TNO shows connected driving could lead to significant environmental benefits too.
What challenges face the commercial deployment of V2X communication?
One of the biggest challenges is to integrate vulnerable road users. To overcome this, 5GAA is working on a solution that leverages smartphone and consumer electronics-based applications. Another difficulty is ensuring that V2X messages sent by transmitting devices are secure, so 5GAA has a dedicated working group focused on improving security and privacy with digital certificates. Our member companies are also actively working on cybersecurity issues. Ensuring high quality of service is also vital, so 5GAA is exploring how to use cellular connectivity in a reliable manner and facilitate functional safety concepts.
Why is 5G crucial for enabling V2X?
5G is a real game changer in automotive because it offers ultra-reliable communications at higher speeds and supports all information needs. It enables cooperative and automated driving, providing high-quality mass data transfer while bringing secure high bandwidth and low-latency connectivity to vehicles and road transport organisations. The added value of 5G-V2X is unlimited and benefits the entire ecosystem enabling tele-operated driving with real-time infrastructure updates.
5G will also play a significant role in the digital and sustainable transition.
How is 5GAA building a solid foundation for the new connected mobility era?
We’re creating multiple technology applications, focusing on several use cases and particularly how to make the entire transportation infrastructure safer for all road users. We aim to capture all the requirements, standards and capabilities for technology complementariness between our member companies.
How will the market evolve in 2022 and beyond?
Today, close to 200 million vehicles are connected and equipped with cellular networks. In the next two to three years, we expect to see mass deployment of Long Term Evolution-V2X use cases geared towards improving traffic efficiency and road safety worldwide. By 2025, we’ll see widespread use of 5G-V2X globally, which will enable advanced safety and automated driving applications, such as automated valet parking or HD sensor sharing for autonomous vehicles.
This article was originally published in the Spring 2022 issue of Technology Record. To get future issues delivered directly to your inbox, sign up for a free subscription.