Spanish automotive systems developer and supplier Ficosa is the first global manufacturer to receive the European Union’s RED (Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU) certification for its CarCom platform with cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology.
Headquartered in Barcelona, Ficosa is a leading global provider that is dedicated to research, development, production and marketing of vision, safety, communication and efficiency systems for the automotive and mobility sectors. The company says this new EU certification is a recognition of its innovation in the automotive sector and a demonstration of the maturity of its CarCom connected vehicle (CV) platform. With this RED certification, Ficosa is now positioned as one of the main suppliers of automotive components in collaborative intelligent transportation systems (C-ITS) for deployment in smart cities.
The CarCom platform integrates Qualcomm’s latest chipset technology and has been certified in collaboration with Dekra Laboratories, a leading German vehicle inspection, testing and certification consultancy. Ficosa develops solutions for connecting cars with both infrastructure (V2I) and with other vehicles (V2V) through the currently available technologies: both with Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC 802.11p) and cellular technology (C-V2X). The CarCom platform allows integrating the two connectivity options in a modular way and there is also a dual mode variant available. Ficosa’s V2X systems are equipped with integrated antennas based on fractal technology and modules that allow internal and external communications within the vehicle by integrating various telecommunication technologies, such as DSEC or cellular communications, CAN bus, WiFi, and GNSS positioning systems, in a single unit. The company’s On-Board Unit (OBU) enables vehicle communication using C-V2X technology and a path to the widescale introduction of 5G technology.
At the 2019 Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, the company successfully tested its C-V2X technology in the 5G Connected Car pilot project. Due to this, the different use cases based on C-V2X were put into operation in a real-world test environment including a 5G base station.
The company has also been a pioneer in testing the C-V2X technology in the USA, taking part in some of the country’s largest smart city and CV pilot programs.
“This certification is a recognition of the dedication and all our efforts in developing and accelerating the arrival of the connected car to the market, innovating in solutions that make it possible as we already demonstrated in several pilots in 2018, integrating CarCom On Board Units in more than 500 vehicles,” said Joan Palacín, director of Ficosa’s advanced communications business unit. “We are happy to count on the full support of the best technological partners, such like Qualcomm and Dekra, which has been key to make this important achievement. For us, connectivity and safety are the main concepts for the development of autonomous driving. In this sense, V2X technology is unique because, in addition to being a first level connectivity tool, it is capable of preventing accidents, and this is vital for the future of our industry.”
