C-V2X in China

While there is political rancor in the U.S vis-à-vis China, no one in the auto industry should take their eye off of what is occurring from a technology standpoint in China.

Qualcomm is big on 5G, which is beneficial to C-V2X. (Images: Qualcomm)

This became exceedingly obvious, to put it mildly, to say the least, when Qualcomm Technologies—part of the massive wireless (3G, 4G, 5G. . .) tech firm headquartered in San Diego—announced its collaboration with companies in China on the “2020 C-V2X Cross-industry & Large-scale Pilot Plugfest.” Strange though that name may sound, there should be no doubt that there is nothing in the least bit odd about what is occurring.

“C-V2X” is “cellular vehicle-to-everything.”

And as for the participants in the Plugfest:

• 40+ automakers
• 40+ terminal manufacturers
• 10+ chipset solution vendors
• 20+ information security vendors
• 5 map providers
• 5 position vendors

The purpose of the event was to demonstrate interoperability across

• Chip modules
• Terminals
• Vehicles
• Security platforms
• Maps

As for the testing, there were 180 C-V2X onboard units (OBUs) and roadside units (RSUs). Testing including a number of traffic scenarios.

2020 “Plugfest” participants in China.

There were five vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) use cases involving interoperability:

• In-vehicle signage
• Traffic light information push/green light optimal speed advisory
• Security mechanism demo
• Vulnerable road user collision warning
• Front construction reminder

And there were five vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) use cases tested:

• Forward collision warning
• Emergency vehicle avoidance
• Abnormal vehicle warning
• Blind spot warning/left turn assistance
• Traffic jam warning in multi-access edge computing

Clearly, comprehensive.

Here’s a quote to ponder from Jim Misener, senior director, product management and global V2X ecosystem lead, Qualcomm Technologies:

“Today, 5G is empowering the automotive industry, expanding the set of application, and driving the C-V2X industry ecosystem to scale in China. Meanwhile, the solid foundation of the information and communication industry has also paved the way for C-V2X commercialization and implementation in China.”

“Driving the C-V2X industry ecosystem to scale.”

“Solid foundation.”

“C-V2X commercialization and implementation.”

Sounds like there is a high degree of readiness being developed.

None of this is to say that tests of C-V2X aren’t occurring in the U.S. Ford is working with Qualcomm. Audi, the Virginia Department of Transportation are running a pilot. And there are more.

But the scale of the participants in the Plugfest should give not pause, but a commitment to increase development of the technology that can significantly help save lives—everywhere.