First C-V2X Systems with High Performance Direct V2V Communication Due in 2020

Boston, MA – January 8, 2018 –  A NHTSA proposed mandate in the US to fit DSRC V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) wireless communication systems, that aim to increase road safety and improve traffic management, still has not been implemented and has an uncertain future under the Trump administration.  Meanwhile a cellular technology based alternative (C-V2X) has recently been developed, with its advocates claiming it offers the high performance necessary to support V2X safety-critical applications.

The Strategy Analytics report, “Mandate Delays will Favor C-V2X in ‘Protocol War’ Battle with DSRC for V2X Implementations”, analyses the latest developments and possible V2X market demand outcomes.

Click here for the report: http://bit.ly/2BEtGLu

With only limited offerings in Japan and on the 2017 Cadillac CTS sedan in the US, DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) deployments are very low for a technology that was developed 20 years ago, that was standardized 7 years ago and has a recently proposed mandate planned for the US.  The lack of “critical mass” of DSRC-enabled vehicles has, however, shifted attention towards the cellular communication protocol as a means of promoting V2X more rapidly.

Stumbling blocks for DSRC V2X include the requirement of a new widespread infrastructure to be built and the limited DSRC adoption in other automotive wireless applications, largely confined to ETC (Electronic Toll Collection).  Conversely, C-V2X can leverage beacons already in place by the mobile industry and enables consumers immediate access to less safety-critical V2N (Vehicle-to-Network) and V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) applications, sometimes in tandem with connected vehicle services through a smartphone app.  C-V2X also has the PC5 interface linking to the 5.9 GHz band to enable safety critical Non-Line-Of-Sight (NLOS) V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle) applications without adding data cost to consumers..  “This”, said Kevin Mak, Senior Analyst at the Automotive Practice of Strategy Analytics, “will enable a faster route to V2X than otherwise with DSRC.”

While the C-V2X ecosystem continues to expand, most recently with the release of the Qualcomm 9150 chipset platform, the report findings highlight significant ongoing contention between proponents of the two V2X solutions.