Panasonic Corporation of North America, Qualcomm Technologies and Ford Motor Company are collaborating on the USA’s first deployment cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technologies with a trial system being installed in Colorado.
The project will be the first deployment of C-V2X technology in the USA and is an extension of a previously announced partnership between the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Panasonic to integrate connected vehicle technology in the state. Panasonic, Qualcomm Technologies and Ford have joined the advanced development efforts to help deploy the technology, and to assess C-V2X capabilities this summer on select roadways throughout Panasonic’s 400-acre CityNOW smart city living lab that is being built outside Denver, which will be followed by deployment in select areas along the I-70 Mountain Corridor later in the year.
Panasonic will work with Kapsch TrafficCom in CDOT’s V2X development program, in which Kapsch will provide roadside units (RSUs), as well as with Ficosa to provide C-V2X onboard units (OBUs). The transportation authority’s existing fleet of Ford utility vehicles will be equipped with C-V2X devices using Ficosa’s CarCom platform to enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) direct communications. Panasonic’s connected vehicle data platform will collect and disseminate C-V2X data to provide roadway operators with improved situational awareness and a new ability to send safety critical information directly to vehicles.
C-V2X is designed to be globally compatible with 5G and complement other advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) sensors, such as cameras, radar and lidar. C-V2X direct communication mode is designed to offer vehicles low latency communications for V2V, V2I and V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian) without the involvement of a cellular network or subscription, by operating on the designated and harmonized 5.9GHz ITS spectrum. Recent field test results show a significant range, reliability and performance advantage of C-V2X direct communications, with more than twice the range and improved reliability compared to IEEE 802.11p DSRC radio technology.
With C-V2X’s superior performance and evolutionary path to 5G, the technology is well-positioned to be the global system for V2X communications, supporting new automotive applications for safety, autonomous driving and traffic efficiency. With the ability of C-V2X direct communications to be integrated into an LTE-based telematics unit, the technology is also cost-effective and is currently being trialled in Germany, France, Korea, China, Japan, and the USA.
“The state of Colorado has been focused on the rapid deployment of connected vehicle technology to advance safety and is encouraged by the progression of C-V2X,” said Michael P Lewis, CDOT’s executive director. “We’re ready to help advance vehicle safety and serve as a hub for advanced vehicle testing and development, with the support of Ford and technology leaders like Qualcomm Technologies and Panasonic.”
Don Butler, executive director for connected vehicle platforms at Ford, commented, “C-V2X is core to our vision for the future of transportation and we believe strongly in its potential when integrated with Denver’s smart city initiatives. Initial field test results demonstrate that C-V2X is the clear choice for the global solution for V2X and the deployment of C-V2X in Colorado will further support this.”
