5GAA to hold a session at ITS America Conference & Expo 2023 in Texas.

ITS America is a premier event that brings together decision-makers and their supporting teams from public and private sector transportation agencies to learn about the implementation of new technologies and solutions that will enable a safer, greener, and smarter transportation system, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas, Texas, April 24-27, 2023.  ​

ITS America Conference & Expo allows the smart mobility community to come together to explore the deployment of intelligent transportation technologies that saves lives, improves mobility, promotes sustainability, and increases efficiency and productivity.​

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is proud to be a Partner in the event, bringing together key actors of the mobility ecosystem and leading the field of connected mobility. 5GAA is thrilled to attend this 2023 edition, having the opportunity to discover innovative technology advances and network again with mobile and tech industry influencers.

In this edition, 5GAA will be holding a session on connected mobility.

See the Programme and Schedule of the 5GAA session here.

For more information, please contact marcom@5gaa.org

On February 9, to conclude its first meeting week of 2023, the 5G Automotive Association held a workshop on “C-V2X Mass Market Deployment in Real-Life Traffic”. Over two sessions, speakers examined connected mobility for road management in The Netherlands and Flanders and the benefits of connected mobility services for end-users.   

Continuing a tradition established last year in Atlanta (US) and Málaga (Spain), the 5G Automotive Association capped off its meeting week in The Hague —the first of four to be held in 2023 — with a workshop for members and guests.  

The workshop, which took place on the morning of February 9 at the Marriott Hotel in the Dutch capital, gathered delegates and partners for two different sessions featuring representatives from member organisations, public stakeholders, and road operators. 5GAA Director General Johannes Springer was responsible for welcoming attendees, while Vice Chair Uwe Puetzschler delivered the closing speech with an outlook of what is coming for 5G-V2X.  

During the first session, participants got an overview of the Netherlands’ and Flanders’ Connected Mobility Roadmaps from Wim Vandenberghe, Senior Advisor for ITS and CCAM at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and Erika Decorte, Program Manager at the Flanders Authority for Roads and Traffic. Menno Malta, CEO of Monotch, wrapped up the session by delving into the C-ITS ecosystem deployment and architecture.  

The second session, on the other hand, explored how end-users are leveraging connecting mobility services. René Spaan, Project Leader for Smart Mobility in the City of Helmond (Netherlands, presented use cases in urban settings. Participants also got to learn more about C-V2X services for emergency vehicles thanks to Gerard Berendschot, Manager of Quality and Policy at the Netherlands’ Ambulance Care. Finally, 5GAA delegate Andreas Schaller, Head of V2X Technology at Bosch, introduced the audience to the wrong-way driving application.  

After the workshop, the 5GAA Board hosted a close-door roundtable with nine road operators, who received a presentation about the association’s new C-V2X roadmap and engaged in some interactive discussions to dive into their priorities, needs, and expectations. This roundtable followed on 5GAA’s recent release of its “Conclusions and Recommendations for Communications Service Providers Supporting Road Operator Priorities and Expectations”, available here, and a technical report on “Road Operator Use Case Modelling and Analysis.”

The 5G Automotive Association recently unveiled the revised version of its 2030 roadmap, first published two years ago. To present the key findings and main takeaways of this release, the association is organising a webinar on the “5GAA C-V2X Roadmap II: Update of 2030 industry vision for Advanced Driving Use Cases, Connectivity Technologies, and Radio Spectrum Needs”, taking place on December 15. 

The connected and smart mobility landscape has significantly changed since the 5G Automotive Association published its first 2030 roadmap two years ago. Since then, the C-ITS ecosystem has witnessed a rapid evolution and global deployment of basic safety services, use cases addressing traffic efficiency and VRU protection, and increasing market availability of C-V2X and 5G-V2X-based services and devices.  

Over this period, 5GAA has been closely looking at advanced safety and automated driving applications, and the technology readiness to turn them into a market reality. An exhaustive analysis of the regional, regulatory and technological contexts, including state-of-the-art for standardization activities, has resulted in the publication of the 5GAA C-V2X Roadmap II White Paper.  

To share this document’s main findings and highlights with the 5GAA community, the association will host a webinar on Thursday, December 15, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM (CET). Chief Technology Officer, Maxime Flament, will unveil 5GAA’s vision of the future and expected timeline for C-V2X mass deployment on the 2030 horizon, with a particular focus on advanced applications bringing on automated driving, teleoperation, automated valet parking, and sensor sharing. 5GAA’s leading contributors to the paper, Andreas Schaller (Bosch), Georg Schmitt (BMW) and Alin Stanescu (Volkswagen), will join Maxime for the Q&A session and shed light on the outcome of this Work Item.  

All 5GAA delegates are welcome to join the session and contribute to a fruitful discussion on the association’s foresight and how upcoming developments will contribute to global safety, mobility, environmental stewardship and transportation equity goals.

Watch the recording here.

Testing certification in the C-V2X ecosystem

The growth of connected vehicles and infrastructure is becoming apparent throughout the world. C-V2X is constantly evolving, and it is necessary to ensure that all stakeholders (e.g. telecommunication and automotive sectors) are working together to ensure that connected mobility is safer and more efficient. Hence, it is important to ensure that the public and policy-makers trust the technology. 5GAA aims to support regional certification bodies to guarantee safe and reliable intelligent transport systems globally. 5GAA is dedicated to giving the C-V2X ecosystem players a voice in reviewing and developing the certification framework. On top of mandatory regulatory requirements (e.g. Radio Equipment Directive in the EU or FCC rules in the US), a number of organisations offer certification programs based on agreed industry standards which are equally critical to guarantee compliance and ensure interoperability. Such certification programs also facilitate global/regional harmonisation thus helping to reduce testing costs and accelerating time to market.

 

 

Ecosystem partner

The expertise of our members allows 5GAA to secure its position in the certification discussions in all parts of the world. 5GAA wants to continue supporting the organisations in the C-V2X ecosystem to ensure that the best products are placed on the market.

 

On October 20th, 2022, the 5G Automotive Association will meet with members in Málaga for a symposium on “5GAA’s achievements and the C-V2X ecosystem”, followed by more than 15 C-V2X live demonstrations taking place at the DEKRA facilities.  

Between October 17 and 20, the 5G Automotive Association will travel to Malaga, Spain, for an internal meeting week. On Thursday, October 20, DEKRA will welcome 5GAA at its testing centre in Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía, where they will host a members’ symposium and several  live demonstrations. 

The symposium will bring members together with EU road traffic authorities, operators and other ecosystem stakeholders. The programme includes a presentation and exchange around the new C-V2X 2030 Roadmap and a sample of essential 5GAA Work Items completed over the past year. For the closing remarks, the association is honoured to welcome H.E. Mr. Roberto Sánchez,  Spain’s Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures. The road operators will then be invited to join a round table hosted by 5GAA Board representatives. 

In the afternoon, attendees can witness the demonstrations organised by 5GAA, showcasing some of the latest developments for 5G and C-V2X technologies. This unique experience will feature 16 live indoor and outdoor demos, proving that 5GAA members do not cease to innovate and deliver cutting-edge solutions for connected and automated mobility. The list of confirmed participants includes, amongst others, Autotalks, Huawei, Continental, Deutsche Telekom, Keysight, Molex and Anritsu.

To help attendees plan their visit, 5GAA has designed a brochure containing a map of the facilities and a description of each demo. It is available here for download.

 

List of confirmed demos:

 

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) will again join the ITS World Congress, the global flagship event for intelligent transportation systems, taking place in Los Angeles from September 18 to 22. This occasion will bring together policymakers, researchers, and industry representatives from all over the world to explore this year’s central theme, “Transformation by Transportation”. 

The ITS World Congress is coming back to the United States and gathering the entire mobility ecosystem to provide all attendees with an exciting opportunity to discover, connect, and learn. The 5G Automotive Association is pleased to join; to that end, the team has curated a comprehensive programme for the kick-off day – Monday, September 19. 5GAA’s initiatives are set to bring journalists, industry members, public authorities and road operators closer to the association’s work and the latest advances of our members in C-V2X technologies. 

5GAA’s plans at the ITSWC include:  

• Showcasing our latest developments at the 5GAA booth, #419, in the main Exhibit Hall 
• Scheduling 1-to-1 meetings with our experts to discuss industry progress, innovation developments and members’ technology advances 
• Guided tours for media, industry, and government officials
• Holding two speaking sessions at the Education Hall in collaboration with our members 

Join our Guided Tours

On September 19, from 11 AM to 12 PM (PDT), 5GAA will host a Press Tour, led by journalist Brian Maguire. It includes scheduled visits to some of the association’s members, like Continental, Intel, Nokia, Commsignia and more, who will hold demos at their booths to showcase their latest C-V2X advancements. Our members’ representatives will be available to address media questions after the demonstrations.   Registrations are open here.

At the same time, we encourage industry stakeholders and government officials to register for their respective tours, taking place on September 20 between 9.30 AM and 11.15 AM (PDT), which will follow the same order.

5GAA Speaking Session at ITSWC2022 

The “Connected Driving: C-V2X on the Road” conference will also take place on September 19 from 1 to 3 PM (PDT) at the Education Hall, featuring two panel discussions with top-level guests: 

1. C-V2X for Safety Services 

Today’s C-V2X safety services, such as traffic signal pre-emption and road hazard information, save lives. Our panel will cover the importance of the 30 MHz allocation in the U.S. for current usage, but also the need to secure 40 MHz additional spectrum for advanced V2X safety services.

2. Mobility Benefits

V2X deployment is advancing globally, enabling the creation of unprecedented information to aid Traffic Management and Operations. The emergence of C-V2X supports widespread deployment of mobility services, and represents a win-win for traffic operations, industry, and, most importantly, people/  

Register here for the conference, or book a 1-to-1 meeting with a 5GAA representative. 

 

Side activities: 5GAA CTO and members’ panels 

• September 18, 1 to 4.30 PM PDT – Digital Infrastructure Workshop, sponsored by Qualcomm, with Maxime Flament (5GAA)
• September 21, 10 to 11.30 AM PDT – “Findings of Original Equipment Manufacturers Deployment into a Connected Vehicle Deployment” session, with Aaron Weinfield (DENSO)
• September 21, 1 to 4 PM PDT – “5G Connectivity” workshop, with Maxime Flament (5GAA), Coen Bresser (ERTICO/ITS Europe), Ralf Weber (Qualcomm), Julia Rainer (Audi AG).

---

For any questions about our plans at the ITS World Congress, don’t hesitate to contact the Marcom team at marcom@5gaa.org.  

From 1st through 3rd August, the 2022 Zhixing Cup C-V2X Pilot Plugfest and Practice for Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration was successfully held in Beijing.

The organisers were the China Industry Innovation Alliance for the Intelligent and Connected Vehicle (CAICV), the China Society of Automotive Engineers (CSAE), the Beijing High-Level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Area Office (BJHAD), the IMT-2020 (5G) C-V2X Working Group, the National Technical Committee of Auto Standardisation (NTCAS), and the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA). 5GAA was one of the supporting organisations, together with ACEA, VDA, and more.

The C-V2X tests and demonstrations gathered more than 40 companies, including automakers, manufacturers, autonomous driving systems providers and information security vendors. This year’s Zhixing Cup added new functional scenarios for mass production and practical application, building on previous editions, solid cross-industry collaborations, and the achievements of the Beijing High-level Autonomous Driving Demonstration Zone 2.0.

In his speech, Song Yajun, the Deputy Director of the Administration Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, precisely highlighted the completion of the phase 2 construction. According to Mr Song, more than 300 road intersections, two-way 750-kilometre urban roads and 10-kilometer expressways have achieved full coverage of intelligent-network roads and smart city private networks. The demonstration zone aims to continue supporting the further commercialisation of C-V2X.

During the interoperability demonstrations and tests, several V2I and V2V use cases were showcased, including speed limit warning, vehicle malfunction warning, road works warning, green wave speed guidance, and V2X misbehavior detection function.

The V2X Misbehavior detection function was also organised in the demonstration route. By deploying V2X misbehavior detection SDK (CICV-MBR) on RSU and OBU, misbehavior from the security layer and message layer of V2X protocol stack is detected and monitored. Through the interoperability demonstration, detected misbehavior concentrate in certificate chain failures, signature failures, and incorrect fields in BSM messages.

CMCC’s Dr Wei Chen, board member of the 5G Automotive Association, represented 5GAA at the departure ceremony.

Brussels (BELGIUM), 11 August 2022 – The 5G Automotive Association and the 6G Smart Networks and Services Industry Association (6G-IA) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a result of their mutual interest in strengthening the liaison between EU-funded projects on V2X and Connected and Automated Driving (CAD) with the relevant industry players, along with their wish to ensure the successful exploitation of V2X and CAD EU-funded project results.

The 6G-IA is the voice of European Industry and Research for next-generation networks and services. Its primary objective is to contribute to Europe’s leadership on 5G, 5G evolution and SNS/6G research. This aim brings together a global industry community of telecoms and digital actors, such as operators, manufacturers, research institutes, associations, universities, verticals and SMEs. The 6G-IA carries out a wide range of activities in strategic areas, including standardisation, frequency spectrum, R&D projects, technology skills, collaboration with key vertical industry sectors —notably for the development of trials— and international cooperation. It represents the private sector in both the 5G Public Private Partnership (5G-PPP) and the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU), where the European Commission represents the public side.

5GAA, on the other hand, is a global cross-industry organisation of companies from the automotive, technology, and telecommunications industries (ICT). The association’s objectives are to develop, test and promote cellular technology-based communications solutions, initiate their standardisation, and accelerate their commercial availability and global market penetration to address society’s connected mobility and road safety needs.

Under this MoU, both parties agreed to cooperate for the benefit of the connected and automated mobility sector and society as a whole.

This Technical Report provides a business study on C-V2X-based tolling in China based on the concept of free-flow ETC. The study, conducted by Tongji University Cooperative Automated Transportation (CAT) Lab for 5GAA, focuses on C-V2X direct PC5 communication-based tolling applications on highways or in highway scenarios.

This study serves as a business analysis, rather than a detailed technical solution. It includes a rough proposal for a roadmap and for PC5 communication-based tolling scenarios, investment analyses of the infrastructure side, and PC5 industrial chain development on the vehicle side, in order to verify the migration possibility and its path between C-V2X ITS and the traditional tolling business model.

 

The document is fully available here.

Through September 15, 2022, a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will be open for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants in FY22. It’s an opportunity for companies to apply for a part of $1 billion per year in FY22-26 grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

The timing is fortuitous. Newly released traffic crash estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that traffic fatality rates in 2021 are the highest since 2005. NHTSA projects a final tally of 42,915 lives lost during 2021 in traffic crashes nationwide.

Making transportation safer and more equitable

To support its goals, the SS4A program funds activities that will help lower fatalities on U.S. roads and highways. The program is also an opportunity to fund regional, local and Tribal initiatives aimed at making transportation equitable for all road users.

Equity is an important element in underserved communities, which are disproportionately affected by fatalities among vulnerable road users (VRUs). These users include pedestrians, cyclists and the growing number people using micro-mobility options such as e-bikes and scooters.

Underserved communities also have higher vehicular traffic volumes, trucking routes and major arterial roads. They are characterized by intersections that are unsafe or impassable by foot or bike, and an overall lower level and quality of walking and cycling infrastructure. NHTSA’s projections for 2021 show alarming increases in fatalities for pedestrians (13 percent), motorcyclists (9 percent) and bicyclists (5 percent), making the SS4A funding opportunity even more fortuitous for VRUs.

Applying C-V2X technology to prevent road fatalities

Many roadway deaths are preventable. Cellular-vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) is a wireless technology that allows vehicles to communicate directly with each other (V2V), with roadside infrastructure (V2I) and potentially with pedestrians (V2P). C-V2X supports information sharing to facilitate applications that enhance safety for all road users.

NHTSA believes that safety applications supported by V2V and V2I could eliminate or mitigate the severity of up to 80 percent of non-impaired crashes. Also, connected vehicle technology is on the National Transportation Safety Board’s Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements.

The following use cases illustrate the immediate impact of safety applications that use C-V2X technology:

• Red-light violation warning (RLVW)
  More than half of all fatal and injury crashes happen at intersections (source). The most common cause of all urban crashes, drivers running red lights result in an average of seven fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries per day at signalized intersections across the country (source).

• Intersection movement assist (IMA)
  Similar to RLVW, IMA safety applications can alert other drivers when someone is running a red light so they can take action to stop before entering the intersection.
• Spot weather warnings
  Inclement weather, which can result in road hazards such as icy patches on highways, are not easily detected by LIDAR sensors. Infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) applications can send a warning to approaching vehicles, reducing the potential for sharp drops in speed that can result in road incidents.
• Traffic signal pre-emption
  Aimed at shortening emergency response times to help save lives, this use case allows vehicles like ambulances and fire trucks to remotely trigger a green light. Related V2V applications share this information with nearby vehicles so drivers can take action to move out of the way, reducing congestion along the route to improve safety for first responders and road users alike.
• School zone safety
  C-V2X alerts drivers when they are entering an active school zone and notifies them of the reduced speed limit. Future applications might include automatically slowing vehicles as they approach an active school zone.

See more use cases below.

What you can’t see can hurt you, and C-V2X plays a critical safety role because it allows the vehicle to see more than the driver can see. Regular sensors keep vehicles safe in immediate surroundings; C-V2X provides more robust signaling to help vehicles see around blind corners and many other types of obstructions. It connects vehicles and roadside infrastructure that are not in each other’s line of sight and allows them to share information about traffic conditions.

How C-V2X fits with SS4A

SS4A accepts both Action Plan Grants and Implementation Grants, with the latter drawing upon the foundation of the former. The program calls out four selection criteria:

1. Safety impact
2. Equity, engagement, collaboration
3. Effective practices and strategies
4. Climate and sustainability, and economic competitiveness

Two notable considerations are project readiness and funds to underserved communities.

USDOT lists several sample activities for Implementation Grants that align closely with C-V2X, including these:

• Deploying advanced transportation technologies, such as the installation of connected intersection-based safety solutions and vehicle-to-infrastructure advisory speed limit systems (e.g., intelligent speed assistance — see above)
• Evaluating and improving the safety of intersections by considering innovative design changes, improved delineation, and advanced warning
• Creating safe routes to school and public transit services through multiple activities that lead to people safely walking and biking in underserved communities.
• Promoting the adoption of innovative technologies or strategies for the safety and protection of VRUs in high-traffic areas where commercial motor vehicles (CMVs), pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists interact.

Next steps

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, SS4A is a discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next 5 years. A related opportunity opening up in late 2022 is the $500 million Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants from USDOT. Both SS4A and SMART provide a path to federal funding to build novel uses of C-V2X and 5G technologies into the nation’s infrastructure. To provide more visibility for industry stakeholders, USDOT has published a full list of funding opportunities with anticipated dates for 2022.

Applications built around C-V2X can help make intersections safer and reduce fatalities due to speeding in the use cases shown above, as well as in these:

• At-grade rail crossings — alerting emergency vehicles that a rail crossing is closed, enabling early rerouting and avoiding delays in life-saving calls
• Pedestrian crossings — detecting when a VRU is in the crosswalk ahead and warning approaching drivers to proceed with caution
• Incident clearance and response — sending alerts to drivers as they approach an emergency vehicle stopped in or along the roadway ahead, thereby helping to prevent secondary crashes
• Wrong-way driving — detecting drivers who go the wrong way on on-ramps and highways, then alerting the driver, nearby drivers, and law enforcement

These applications can also help make transportation equitable in underserved communities, fulfilling another important goal of SS4A.

Find out how to apply for SS4A grants here and in the USDOT’s “Safe Streets and Roads for All” webinar series.