A year on from the start of their partnership, French auto maker Groupe PSA (Peugeot-Citroen) and Qualcomm Technologies Inc. have reported progress in their cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications technology testing program.
One of the objectives of the program is to test C-V2X technology, as the first step of 5G deployment for automotive applications with direct communication between vehicles. Since the project’s launch in February 2017, PSA and Qualcomm have been working together to test C-V2X technology based on the 3rd Generation Partnership Program’s (3GPP) use of the 5.9GHz spectrum that is allocated for Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and network communications over commercial telecom operator spectrum.
At the InOut Digital Mobility event in March in Rennes, France, the two companies will host the first demonstration of C-V2X technology in France. PSA hopes the C-V2X technology trial will lead to a commercial deployment from 2020.
The showcase will feature PSA’s cars enabled with C-V2X technology using the Qualcomm 9150 C-V2X chipset and reference platform. Specific use-cases will demonstrate how C-V2X technology supports advanced driver assistance capabilities. The demonstration will display how vehicles can seamlessly communicate with one another, providing mutual alerts of potential roadside hazards or problem vehicle situations, such as slow moving or disabled cars.
The partners see C-V2X as a global solution for V2X communications, allowing vehicles to exchange information with each other and with pedestrian devices or roadside infrastructure, in order to support improved automotive safety, automated driving, and traffic efficiency.
PSA and Qualcomm believe C-V2X’s evolution will incorporate 5G New Radio (NR) features, which provide high throughput, ultra-low latency, high reliability and wideband carrier support for advanced use cases for autonomous driving, including high throughput sensor, intent sharing and 3D HD map updates. To further support the global expansion of the C-V2X ecosystem, PSA recently joined the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA), a cross-industry organization of over 70 global companies that supports C-V2X direct and network communications.
“C-V2X has significant global momentum and broad ecosystem support to ensure its success as a relevant V2X technology,” said Carla Gohin, SVP and head of innovation at PSA. “We are pleased to work in close collaboration with Qualcomm for validating the technology, working on advanced use cases, and ensuring global adoption of C-V2X and its evolution into 5G.”
Enrico Salvatori, president of Qualcomm Europe and MEA, noted, “We look forward in continuing to collaborate with Groupe PSA to include C-V2X and 5G into its vehicle line-up and to bring the benefits of the most advanced automotive technologies to their customers across the globe.”
