Vehicle-to-everything communications will save lives and improve vehicular transportation, but not before multiple barriers to adoption are overcome. This was the conclusion of a three-way Webinar discussion between Lead Vehicle Architect Mike Potts of Molex, Chief Technical Officer of Connected Cars Johannes Springer of T-Systems, and Director of User Experience Chris Schreiner of Strategy Analytics.
All three Webinar participants agreed that the decades-long effort to bring V2X technology to automobiles is coming to fruition today as multiple car makers including General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Ford Motor Company, Audi, BMW, and Daimler have all made market introductions or announced immediate plans to deploy V2X tech. These commitments have come in spite of obstacles ranging from infrastructure and cellular wireless coverage limitations, technical implementation issues, lack of consumer awareness or understanding, legislative conflicts, and competing standards.
Webinar attendees surveyed during the discussion highlighted lack of infrastructure (44%) as the main reason for the slow initial uptake of V2X tech. Spring of T-Systems noted that a turning point has been reached as the onset of 5G wireless networks is providing the impetus to overcome infrastructure limitations. He also pointed to the increasing collaboration between public authorities and wireless carriers to integrate infrastructure upgrade activities to the benefit of both.
Potts of Molex emphasized the importance of V2X technology in enhancing vehicle positioning capabilities. The layered nature of V2X connectivity enables multiple means of enhancing vehicle location accuracy setting the stage for both broadly deployed collision avoidance capabilities and, ultimately, automated driving.
Achieving reliable signal reception and transmission in a V2X-enabled scenario is emerging as one of the most complex technical challenges ever taken on by the automotive industry. Potts described in detail the challenges related to antenna placement and communication integration in the context of the rigid requirements of safety applications.
To reap the rewards of V2X tech, though, Schreiner of Strategy Analytics was quick to point out the limited understanding of the technology among consumers and the growing demands on human machine interfaces in cars. The automotive and wireless industries must do more to educate consumers on the user experiences and applications associated with V2X technology.
About 50% of surveyed Webinar attendees said they expected V2X tech to be standard fitment in major markets within 5-10 years. While that prospect may appear distant to some, it reflects the reality in the automotive industry that the wave of massive adoption has already begun and, actually, for the average auto maker struggling with 3-4 year development cycles five years from today may as well be tomorrow. With that, Potts, Spring, and Schreiner agree.
Webinar replay:
https://www.strategyanalytics.com/access-services/automotive/in-vehicle-ux/reports/report-detail/webinar-replay-v2x---a-roadmap-for-saving-lives