Volkswagen has started the rollout of NXP’s secure vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology in its 8th generation Golf series. The technology enables cars to talk to each other, improving safety and protecting car drivers as well as cyclists and pedestrians, NXP says in a statement.
“The technology can prevent accidents by having cars communicate with each other, independent of car brands and without the support of cellular infrastructure”, NXP adds.
Volkswagen says road safety forms the core of its commitment to its customers. “As a high-volume manufacturer we aim to be a pioneer in this space”, said Johannes Neft, Head of Vehicle Body Development for the Volkswagen brand. “The introduction of V2X, together with traffic infrastructure providers and other vehicle manufacturers, is a major milestone in this direction. Volkswagen includes this technology, which doesn’t involve any user fees, as a standard feature to accelerate V2X penetration in Europe.”
According to Torsten Lehman, senior vice president and general manager of Driver Assistance and Infotainment at NXP, the technology has been proven in more than one million test days globally. NXP and Volkswagen have closely collaborated for high-reliability and performance, as well as for standardization of V2X communication that addresses cybersecurity and privacy protection.
V2X in Europe
Wi-Fi-based V2X is a mature technology that has been tested for more than 10 years. Presently, 1,000 km of European roads are equipped with V2X technology based on Wi-Fi with 5,000 km planned through the end of 2019. Its research and development, testing and standardization have occurred within a strong global eco-system of suppliers and car manufacturers to ensure reliability in diverse road and traffic conditions. Wi-Fi, therefore, forms the basis of the European standard that has been chosen for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. An additional benefit is its availability independent of paid cellular services. Other developing cellular-based technologies can be added complementary to Wi-Fi-based V2X.
Some of the characteristics of V2X:
- It enables awareness and communication between cars, road infrastructure like traffic lights or street signs, and other road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.
- It is a technology that is collaborative, allowing it to “tap into” surrounding sensor data from mutually equipped cars to warn of hazards and prevent accidents.
- V2X is a technology that complements other ADAS sensing technologies such as radar, LiDAR and cameras.
- It helps vehicles to “see” more than a mile ahead and around corners to provide early warning of obstacles, hazards, and road conditions.
- It has the ability to “see” through objects, delivering more information than that obtained through the line of sight only.
- Its sensing capabilities are unaffected by poor weather conditions.
