The Colorado Department of Transportation is working with Qualcomm, Panasonic and Ford to test cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology, which enables vehicles to automatically communicate with each other while on the road, in limited areas this summer.
These would be the first road tests of their kind conducted in North America. Initially, the technology will be tested at select roadways throughout Panasonic’s CityNOW headquarters in Denver. That will be followed by deployment in select areas along the I-70 corridor later in the year.
The technology aims to help avoid collisions, warn drivers of upcoming hazards or pedestrians, better synchronize stoplights, alert drivers of available parking, and so on. C-V2X is relatively new, and it is wrestling with Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) for the top spot in the emerging vehicle-to-vehicle data sharing landscape. Companies including Ford, Audi, Nissan and others are working with Qualcomm and its partners on C-V2X, which supporters claim is more reliable, works better at high speeds, has a longer range and delivers data faster than DSRC.
For the Colorado trials, Panasonic North America will work with Kapsch TrafficCom, which will provide roadside C-V2X devices. Another partner, Ficosa, will supply C-V2X onboard devices to an existing Colorado transportation authority fleet of Ford utility vehicles. Panasonic’s connected vehicle data platform will collect and distribute the C-V2X data to traffic managers.
C-V2X field test are currently underway in Germany, France, Korea, China, Japan and the U.S., with widespread deployment expected as early as 2020, according to Qualcomm.
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Source: The San Diego Union-Tribune
