Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - July 2021 - 2

The Navigator
Sam Abuelsamid
Principal Analyst,
eMobility
Guidehouse Insights
sam.abuelsamid@
guidehouse.com
C-V2X is finally gaining momentum in the U.S.
Vehicle to everything (V2X) communications
has had a rough go in North America. After
more than a decade of development on the Wi-Fibased
dedicated short-range communications
(DSRC) technology - and an aborted attempt
to mandate it from the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) - the Federal
Communications Commission pulled the plug
in late 2020. Instead, the auto industry has now
turned its attention to cellular-V2X (C-V2X) with
promising new pilot projects.
The 2017-2019 Cadillac CTS was the only
vehicle ever launched in North America with DSRC.
Toyota abandoned a plan to start
launching the technology across its
lineup in 2021, after no other automaker
stepped up to follow suit.
C-V2X uses the same messaging
standards on top of LTE (4G longterm
evolution) and 5G-based
wireless technologies. Unlike devices
such as smartphones, C-V2X devices
can communicate directly without
going through a carrier network,
sharing locally relevant information
in real time.
This has the potential to provide
I've long been
an advocate of
incorporating
V2X as part of
the sensing
and perception
suite for
automated
driving systems.
major safety benefits by extending situational
awareness beyond the line of sight to which human
eyes and vehicle sensors are limited. I've long been
an advocate of incorporating V2X as part of the
sensing and perception suite for automated driving
systems (ADS). There is the obvious benefit of
being able to coordinate operations such as vehicle
platooning. However, even with the most advanced
sensors available to ADS developers, X-ray vision
still is not in the cards for ADS.
C-V2X has been used by ADS developers
including Baidu in China for some time. Recently,
Ford and Argo AI began installing a series of
connected smart sensor pods at intersections
in Miami where the companies have done much
of their ADS testing over the past several years.
In dense urban areas where buildings are often
situated a mere sidewalk-width from the curb, visibility
is limited when approaching intersections. This
challenge is even more amplified at intersections
where the streets don't meet at 90-degree angles.
The Ford sensor pods which were first tested
in fall 2020 in conjunction with another subsidiary,
Quantum Signal, contain cameras, radar,
lidar and C-V2X radios. As Argo AVs approach a
sensor-equipped intersection, the pods provide
information about potential hazards that may be
approaching from the cross street.
This allows the AV to make decisions
sooner. It also reduces the likelihood
of having to make abrupt decisions
only after the AV sees a hazard from
its sensors, providing a smoother
and safer ride.
In Las Vegas, Motional has been
using DSRC roadside units (RSU)
to get traffic signal information for
several years. Motional has now partnered
with Derq to install camera and
V2X pods that will initially collect
data used for simulation purposes.
Over time, the pods will transmit information
directly to the fleet of Motional AVs.
Audi has been one of the leading OEMs
working with Qualcomm to test C-V2X in pilots in
Colorado as well as Virginia, where it was evaluated
at highway construction zones to alert drivers
to the presence of workers. More recently, Audi
has partnered with two Georgia communities. In
Peachtree Corners, C-V2X is being deployed in RSUs
and municipal utility vehicles while in Alpharetta,
school buses are getting C-V2X radios. With the
first production applications of C-V2X in the U.S.
expected as soon as 2022, the age of connected
vehicles may finally be arriving. ■
2 July 2021
AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE ENGINEERING
Autonomous Vehicle Engineering - July 2021

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