Enabling Autonomous Driving

V2X Communication Technology

Vehicle to everything (V2X) communication technology is one of the fundamental building blocks that will enable advanced autonomous driving in the future. This insight includes a quick snapshot of the current V2X market and brief summaries of two V2X standards – Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC).

About the Cellular V2X standard:

• C-V2X is a V2X technology that uses the specifications defined by the 3GPP. (Release 13, 14 and beyond)   
• C-V2X technology is a new technology with the first commercial deployment expected to commence in 2020. After the formation of the Cellular V2X consortium, 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) in 2016, C-V2X technology has been rapidly gaining support from the majority of the companies across the automotive value chain.
• C-V2X standard offers direct communication interface (called “PC5 or sidelink”) for short-range vehicle-to-vehicle communication that can be used in vehicle safety use cases. The standard also offers indirect communication interface (called “uU”) that enables connected vehicles to access existing cellular networks that give access to long-range applications that can also utilize cloud-computing.
• Since 2015, Huawei backed by the Chinese government has been investing heavily in the C-V2X technology. Because of this, IHS Markit estimates the first commercial deployment of C-V2X equipped vehicle will take place in China in 2020.

Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) standard:

• DSRC is a V2X technology based on the IEEE’s 802.11p standard.
• DSRC is designed for direct, short-range communications that can be used in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications. DSRC is considered the more mature standard compared to the cellular V2X (C-V2X) standard.

Stage 5 and the Role of 5G

5G NR includes more advanced cellular V2X (C-V2X) use cases. The four enhanced V2X (eV2X) use case groups introduced by the 5G NR standard are Platooning, Extended Sensors, Advanced Driving, and Remote Driving. It’s expected that by 2035, Stage 5 fully autonomous vehicles will be in wide use in developed countries. Since these vehicles will not rely on a human operator at all, the ability to provide media-rich content for passengers will be essential. Both 5G MCS and EMBB features of 5G will play an important role. There are many benefits of autonomous vehicles running on 5G. With the number of sensors required to operate a self-driving car, the speed of 5G will make connections more efficient and smarter. Ultimately, creating safer roadways and environmental sustainability. On a commercial and industrial side, having fewer drivers would equal further cost savings. Both in terms of having more efficient routes, but also due to the ability to have longer working hours without the breaks that humans require.

The ability to safely operate vehicles for extended periods is significant and will hugely transform some industries.