Bosch, Vodafone, and Huawei test cellular-V2X on European road

German-technology major Bosch together with telecom-major Vodafone and telecommunication equipment maker Huawei is testing cellular-V2X (vehicle to everything) technology, which makes it possible for a car to communicate with other vehicles and its surroundings through mobile telephony in Bavaria.

Since February 2017 the companies have been performing trials of the new, high-performance technology – which it claims is the first trial by companies in Europe. The trial is being conducted on the A9 freeway in Bavaria with the first 5G test modules. For the first time, they are demonstrating that driver assistance systems such as ACC adaptive cruise control which also benefits from the direct, instantaneous exchange of information between vehicles.

Until now, the cellular-V2X technology was being used as a real-time alert system when changing lanes on the freeway or when the car ahead suddenly brakes. ACC not only warns the driver, but also automatically accelerates and brakes.

The new mobile telephony system thus paves the way for automated driving and achieving the goal of fully connected traffic will involve teaching vehicles to communicate with each other and exchange data directly. The direct communication between vehicles provides information about what is happening in parts of an intersection not visible to the driver – over the crest of a hill, or on the freeway beside or behind the driver’s own car.

Seeing beyond

The ACC adaptive cruise control maintains the speed specified by the driver and − thanks to a radar sensor − the preset distance to the vehicle in front as well. It can detect a vehicle which may suddenly cuts in front as soon as it enters the radar sensor’s detection range. The company says when cars communicate directly and in real time using Cellular-V2X, it is possible to detect such events much sooner. Through mobile telephony, connected cars can directly transmit information, such as their position and speed, to all vehicles within a radius of more than 300 meters. Moreover, they can do so without going through any intermediate channels via the base stations and with virtually no delay.

As a result, a vehicle knows the driving behaviour of others around it, for instance, a car suddenly cuts in front of another vehicle, ACC knows what is about to happen − even before it registers with the driver or the radar sensor.

The car then automatically adjusts its speed earlier than it would have before, so that the vehicle cutting in can do so smoothly. Once enough distance to the car in front has been re-established, ACC automatically accelerates to the preset speed. Even in congested traffic, this function makes driving even more relaxed and stress-free for drivers, while also preventing abrupt braking and acceleration on the freeway. Overall this will contribute towards traffic flow becoming smoother and more efficient.