Communication
is key to any
good relationship. But when it comes to vehicles and their
owners, silence largely prevails.
اضافة اعلان
Except for a few
vague warning lights on the dashboard and side mirrors — and a few sensor-based
sounds in some recent models and, of course, car horns — drivers know nothing
about what the vehicles and pedestrians around them are about to do. A
dangerous obstruction in the roadway, two cars about to move into the same
lane, or a bicycle coming out of a blind alley up ahead are a few potential
surprises, with the driver often finding out about them too late — sometimes
with deadly results.
Yet by later
this decade, much of such surprises is expected to change. Manufacturers are
developing systems generically known as C-V2X — shorthand for cellular
vehicle-to-everything technology — for vehicles to communicate with one another
and pedestrians, cyclists, construction workers (via wearable sensors or
smartphones) and road infrastructure elements, like traffic lights.
With V2X
technology, a car whose sensors or cameras detect a pothole in the roadway will
be able to notify its driver, giving the driver time to take evasive maneuvers.
Highway workers will be alerted to an oncoming vehicle that’s traveling too
close to them. School bus drivers will be warned against letting children off
if a vehicle fails to stop. And bicyclists (and drivers) will be made aware of
one another before possible collisions.
“While passive
safety such as seat belts and active safety from such things as lane departure
warning has improved occupant safety, fatalities outside the vehicle are
growing,” said Anupam Malhotra, senior director of connected services for Audi
of America. “We’re now working to provide cooperative safety, sharing
safety-related information with others.”
Audi has
spearheaded work in V2X technology, collaborating with the Virginia Department
of Transportation and in Alpharetta, Georgia, on tests that feature vehicles
that can communicate with school buses, highway workers, and cyclists. C-V2X
test vehicles were able to detect stopped school buses, vehicles running a red
light, construction workers in the roadway, and bicyclists in blind spots or
attempting to turn in front of a turning vehicle. And those vehicles and people
could, in turn, detect the C-V2X vehicle.
In a recent
demonstration of the technology at Audi’s offices in Oxnard, California, a
bicyclist equipped with a V2X sensor drove across the path of an Audi e-tron.
Before the cyclist was visible to the driver, a warning sound and icon appeared
on the instrument panel, giving the driver time to brake.
In addition to
increased safety, vehicle communication can reduce driver anxiety. Some
Audi vehicles in 103 US cities, using a different technology, can already
communicate with traffic lights, with a countdown to a green light appearing on
the instrument panel. Simply knowing when the light will change can make
driving in stop-and-go traffic less stressful.
These alerts and
warnings can be conveyed on a vehicle’s instrument panel, a hand-held device placed
in a jacket, or even on a smartphone. And it will be relatively easy for car
manufacturers to incorporate automatic emergency braking into the V2X system.
V2X technology
could also be used for so-called dynamic geofencing, said Johannes Springer, the
director general of the 5G Automotive Association, a cross-industry
organization developing transportation services. For example, when excess
emissions are detected in the atmosphere, a hybrid vehicle that is tracked
traveling within a virtual perimeter could be instructed to drive only in
electric mode, he said.
“I can’t imagine
future vehicles without V2X technology,” said Ram Iyer, senior vice president
for connectivity at Harman International, a supplier of vehicle technology.
“Because the human attention span is decreasing, you’ll look for these
technologies to save your life.”
V2X technology
is expected to appear in vehicles as soon as the 2025 model year. But until
there’s a large population of vehicles capable of communicating, the handful
that can will largely be talking to themselves.
Some vehicles in
China already offer V2X in certain locations and with limited features, such as
warnings about possible collisions, blind spots, loss of control, and traffic
jams. And in Europe, certain Volkswagen models offer a different form of V2X
technology, known as Car2X; those vehicles can network directly with other VWs,
informing one another of critical traffic situations, including broken-down
cars and approaching ambulances.
While many
manufacturers have committed to offering V2X technology, there are still
hurdles to overcome, beyond the necessity of reaching a critical mass. The U.S.
government had initially recommended a mandate of V2X technology for new
vehicles, but the recommendation was rescinded during the Trump administration.
And some of the spectrum that the
Federal Communications Commission had
assigned for V2X communications was reallocated for other uses. The FCC said
that C-V2X technology was rendered unnecessary by the increasing ubiquity of in-vehicle
sensors and cameras, a position with which the Alliance for Automotive
Innovation, an industry trade group, disagrees.
“We’ve had a
10-year battle with the FCC for radio spectrum,” said Hilary Cain, vice
president of technology, innovation and mobility policy at the alliance. “Now
technical rules for C-V2X still need to be finalized. But V2X is very important
because unlike traditional vehicle sensors, C-V2X can see around corners and
through things.”
To communicate,
the industry will initially employ LTE cellular technology; to avoid
transmission delays, vehicles will speak to one another directly, not through
cellular transmission towers. Eventually, the system will switch to 5G
standards, allowing for faster communication.
One piece of
positive news: V2X safety features will not cost extra.
“I’ve never heard of any auto company planning
to profit off of this safety technology,” Cain said. “And it’s a cooperative
technology. All vehicles will be able to communicate with each other,
regardless of make.”
“V2X is a very
important feature in vehicles; it will make an enormous contribution to
safety,” said Maite Bezerra, a smart mobility and automotive industry analyst
at ABI Research, a technology intelligence firm in London.
“There are so
many accidents today that could be prevented. And with advanced warnings of
traffic jams and red lights reducing sudden braking, fuel efficiency will also
be improved.”
While
manufacturers and governments around the world see the value of V2X, none have
mandated its use. In China and Europe, V2X will become part of their New Car
Assessment Program, or NCAP, with models receiving points for including V2X
systems.
In the United
States, the FCC has not yet promulgated final rules governing V2X standards. A
number of automakers — including Audi,
Ford, and Jaguar Land Rover — as well as
several state departments of transportation and equipment manufacturers have
filed a request to the FCC for a waiver, which if granted, will allow C-V2X
technology to be offered. The waiver request, filed in December, has not yet
been acted on.
But the industry
is not waiting. Audi, for example, is working with bicycle and equipment
manufacturers to offer V2X transponders for cyclists and expects to begin
offering V2X in its 2025 model-year vehicles.
“We’re currently
including V2X in the development of our vehicle architecture, as we can’t wait,
and we need to be ready,” said Mark Dahncke, Audi of America’s director of
product communications.
“The first person who
sends us a letter saying, ‘You saved my life,’ will make it all worth it.”
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