BARCELONA: 5GCAR Brings Vehicles to Everything

Led by Ericsson, the 5GCAR project is an EU-sponsored initiative which has brought together 14 organisations -- including Orange, Volvo, Nokia, and PSA -- to develop vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networking technologies and a 5G architecture suitable for connected cars through the wider 5G Infrastructure Public Private Partnership (5GPP).

Barcelona is home to a 5G trial facility in which 5GCAR, which will run until May 2019 and has received €8 million in EU funding, is being tested. It is hoped that the 5GCAR project will pave the way for 5G technologies to become a feature in connected vehicles and the consortium hopes to deploy a viable V2X network by 2020.

Barcelona has invested heavily in smart transport systems, including smart parking bays, connected street lights, the Bicing bike sharing program and smart, solar-powered bus shelters. Should 5GCAR prove a success, the initiative may prompt further interest and investment in Barcelona’s smart city solution.