Imagine hailing a city bus through an app. Or, your car alerting you to a red-light runner you can’t see and self-parking after dropping you off at a busy venue.
This isn’t a faraway vision; the infrastructure and technology needed to make transportation more environmentally sustainable, affordable, reliable, and safe is here. “We’re unlocking new solutions and services that will fundamentally reshape the safety and efficiency of how we travel,” says Jim Misener, Senior Director, Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., the world’s leading wireless technology innovator. Misener and his colleagues gave us an inside look at what’s coming to roads around the world—and how they’re making it happen.
It all starts with a solid foundation of communications technology. One important safety-focused communications technology is called Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything technology, or C-V2X. Building on several decades of research and standardization work in wireless technologies, automotive safety, and transportation efficiency, C-V2X connects vehicles to each other, to infrastructure, and to other road users. Qualcomm Technologies first deployed the technology in San Diego in 2017, bringing together public and private entities looking to harness the power of both the transportation and communication networks. These stakeholders include state and local transportation departments and providers of cellular-enabled roadside services, all of whom play important roles in bringing a vibrant intelligent transport system to life.
Once it’s running, C-V2X can open up new possibilities for most stakeholders. Individual drivers can use both real-time and historic information to determine the most efficient route and best departure time. City planners can project travel demand, deploy public transport services more efficiently, and better use parking meters and tolls. Private service providers can expand their cellular networks through roadside access to install additional cells. And, of course, more efficient traffic flows mean increased fuel efficiency and less overall emissions.
The next step toward intelligent transportation comes from C-V2X’s evolution into 5G-V2X. This allows the technology to support advanced safety use cases like platooning, where vehicles travel in packs, their speed and spacing regulated for maximum efficiency, saving fuel and reducing collisions and congestion. And because 5G-V2X can allow for near real-time decision-making across the transportation ecosystem, it’s poised to pave the way for fully autonomous vehicles.
“The new level of connectivity expected from this intelligent transportation system will not only result in safer roads but provide actionable insights that we can harness to achieve additional mobility and environmental benefits,” Misener says. Picture app-connected public transport, an option that not only improves access and equity but also pulls more cars off the road, as its reliability draws more users. Gathered data can be used to look for more greening opportunities and to reshape neighborhoods, making them safer for the most vulnerable road users.
“This is the stuff I dreamed about when I was a child,” Misener says. No longer a reverie, intelligent transportation is here. “Qualcomm Technologies and our industry-leader partners are road-testing innovations that can help us have a safer, more efficient, more sustainable future—and we’re realizing it today.”
*This story was produced by WIRED Brand Lab for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.*
