There were car tech announcements about connected cars, celluar-to-everything, more electric vehicles and Super Cruise.
DSRC vs LTE
A side-by-side comparison of connected vehicle technology at 85 traffic signals in the Tuscaloosa, AL area showed that latency in delivering safety messages from roadside units (RSUs) to vehicles via dedicated short range radios (DSRC) and LTE cellular (C-V2N) was “approximately equivalent,” according to a study by the University of Alabama which was presented at the ITS America Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
According to the study: “The main justification for choosing DSRC technology over cellular is that DSRC communications have much lower latency than cellular communications. However, this project showed the 4G LTE communications had a latency period of less than 300 milliseconds. While this period is longer than the DSRC communications, this time difference in latency periods have very little difference in the applications tested with this platform. In the future, higher levels of automated driving may require low-latency V2V communication, but this current technology has already shown much potential as a connected traveler platform that can be easily used by today’s technology.”
The study also concluded that
- Cellular technology was much easier to configure and install than the DSRC equipment.
- In terms of configuration, the cellular units have the ability to have their firmware updated via “Over-the-air” updates.
- The most reliable way to update the DSRC units is through direct ethernet connection and one must be physically at the pole to update the unit.
- Aftermarket OBUs cost upwards of $1,000 and usually require modification of the vehicle. This makes distribution of DSRC technology beyond pilot programs expensive and impractical.
Ford Demos C-V2X at ITS America
This week at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America annual meeting in Washington, D.C., Ford is demonstrating two C-V2X advancements. One is a roadside unit that allows communications between vehicles and other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders using different wireless technologies, while the other is an unalterable blockchain-based system that helps vehicles negotiate the right of way at intersections for efficient traffic flow.
The roadside unit Ford is developing serves as an “interpreter” between moving parties on roads. It can translate signals from different wireless technologies including Bluetooth, C-V2X and dedicated short-range communications channels. The signals could come from a pedestrian’s mobile or wearable device, a communications system mounted to a scooter, C-V2X and dedicated short-range communications from cars or traffic signals, as well as other sources. In our example, the person’s mobile phone can tell nearby vehicles of his or her intent and receive confirmation from the vehicles involved that it is safe to cross.
For is working unalterable blockchain-based system. This innovation invites road users at a hypothetical intersection into a “discussion” in which they agree on which user will move in which direction and when. Of course, this happens in a fraction of a second, allowing all traffic maneuvers to take place in a safe, efficient manner. The system builds on C-V2X’s processes for authenticating users to enhance performance, simplicity and security.
Ford invites fellow automakers, government agencies and other partners to work with the company to encourage wide adoption of C-V2X, to develop the innovations that will unleash this connectivity technology’s promise to address the transportation issues of today and create the cities of tomorrow.
More Super Cruise
Cadillac is expanding the availability of Super Cruise™1 to an additional 70,000 miles of compatible, divided highways in the United States and Canada. This expansion will make the industry’s first true hands-free driver assistance feature available on more than 200,000 total miles of compatible highways by the fourth quarter of 2019.
To date, Super Cruise has been available on more than 130,000 miles of limited-access freeways. The expansion builds on Super Cruise’s unique combination of precision LiDAR map data, high-precision GPS, a state-of-the-art Driver Attention System and a network of camera and radar sensors. Some of the divided highways added will include limited intersections and traffic control devices. In the cases of railroad crossings, pedestrian crossings, stoplights or stop signs, Super Cruise will alert drivers to take back control of the vehicle. As always, it remains important for drivers to stay engaged and vigilant at all times while Super Cruise is engaged.
To enable the expanded functionality, an enhancement to the Super Cruise system will be available to 2018 and 2019 model year Cadillac CT6 owners through their Cadillac dealer. Following the completion of the system enhancement, the new, additional map miles will be sent to customer vehicles over the air throughout the summer and fall.
In addition to the mileage expansion, the software update will also include performance improvements, enhancements to increase Super Cruise availability and enhancements to the Driver Attention System.
VW Sees the EV Light Out of Diesel Darkness
Volkswagen has been transforming since 2015, working to atone for the damage of the diesel matter while improving the core business, instituting new ethics and compliance programs with real teeth, and aggressively investing in electric vehicle development and production. Next the company needed to address its iconic brand. But before Volkswagen could credibly lay out a new direction, it had to take a moment to properly address what led to it.
The campaign begins with “Hello Light,” during of the NBA Finals. The limited-run spot is a moment for the company to clear the air on the diesel matter, acknowledge what happened and all that it brought about. The point of the message is simple: What matters most is how you respond. In the darkness, you find the light.
The Volkswagen Group has made one of the world’s largest commitments to electric vehicle production – a planned investment of more than $50 billion through 2028, with 70 new electric vehicles coming to market around the world, including next year’s planned American launch of a compact electric SUV, inspired by the Volkswagen ID. CROZZ concept car.
Toyota and Subaru to Develop BEVs
Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) and Subaru Corporation (Subaru) disclosed that they have agreed to jointly develop a platform dedicated to battery electric vehicles (BEVs) for midsize and large passenger vehicles and to jointly develop a C-segment-class BEV SUV model for sale under each company’s own brand. By combining their respective strengths, such as the all-wheel-drive technologies that Subaru has cultivated over many years and the vehicle electrification technologies that Toyota is employing to bring together other companies that share its aspirations, the two companies intend to take up the challenge of creating attractive products with appeal that only BEVs can offer.”
BMW and Land Rover Next Gen Electrics
The BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover are joining forces to develop next generation electric drive units in a move that supports the advancement of electrification technologies necessary to transition to an ACES future.
The BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover share the same strategic vision of environmentally-friendly and future-oriented electric drive technologies. The BMW Group brings long experience of developing and producing several generations of electric drive units in-house since it launched the pioneering BMW i3 in 2013. Jaguar Land Rover has demonstrated its capability with this technology through the launch of the Jaguar I-Pace and its plug-in hybrid models.
The BMW Group’s most sophisticated electrified technology to date features an electric motor, transmission and power electronics in one housing. This electric motor does not require rare earths, enabling the BMW Group to reduce its dependence on their availability as it continues to systematically broaden its range of electrified models.
Starting next year, the BMW Group will introduce this electric drive unit, the fifth generation (“Gen 5”) of its eDrive technology, with the BMW iX3 Sports Activity Vehicle. The Gen 5 electric drive unit will be the propulsion system upon which subsequent evolutions launched together with Jaguar Land Rover will be based.