Automotive technology company Continental and Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, have successfully conducted field trials to test the efficiency of the cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication standard in China.
C-V2X is emerging as a promising wireless communication technology, demonstrating strong potential for use in automated driving and intelligent mobility systems. C-V2X allows road users to communicate using LTE and in future, the 5G mobile network. It is also designed to directly connect vehicles with each other (V2V), as well as with the infrastructure (V2I), and additional road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists (V2P). Even in areas without mobile cellular network coverage, C-V2X communication allows an exchange of time sensitive and safety critical information, for example about warnings of potentially hazardous situations.
Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) require an optimal technology foundation that will remain scalable and relevant in the years to come. Continental is committed to working in partnership with the CAV ecosystem to integrate and deploy different wireless communication technologies, including 5G, C-V2X and dedicated short range communication (DSRC) to cater for this unique market.
In their field tests, the companies judged the performance of C-V2X direct communication on a set of parameters including reliability and latency. To test in realistic conditions, Continental conducted its driving tests in China’s National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Pilot Zone in Shanghai.
The joint tests used Huawei’s prototype C-V2X module and infrastructure for use cases such as Emergency Brake Light and Stationary Vehicle Warning. While the average latency was 11ms, single event message latencies as low as 8ms were achieved, and throughout the tests the packet reception rate was nearly 100%. Continental will demonstrate the results of the C-V2X field trials to its customers during the CES 2018 in Las Vegas, from January 9-12.
“Our C-V2X field test results have been extremely promising so far, in terms of latency and reliability. What’s more, we have measured the results using pre-development hardware and we expect an even better outcome with serial products,” said Johann Hiebl, head of Continental’s infotainment and connectivity business unit. “We will continue our intense research and development into this new technology to bring the next generation of intelligent features to the connected car.”
Lu Xiaofeng, director of Huawei’s wireless network-industry development department, added, “We will continue to invest in C-V2X and work with industry partners to drive forward its development. We believe that C-V2X will become integral to people’s lives, and that it will make traveling safer and more efficient for everyone.”
