Skip to main content

Car makers test next generation connected car communications technology

Audi, Deutsche Telekom, Huawei, Toyota Motor Europe and other car manufacturers are currently carrying out technical field trials on testing LTE-Vehicular (LTE-V), which is seen as a potential enabler for road safety applications and traffic control services as well as emerging automated driving use. The tests, which are being carried out on the A9 motorway in Germany, with the objective of assessing the performance of LTE-V for connected vehicle communications during its standardisation process. LTE
July 11, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
2125 Audi, 4194 Deutsche Telekom, 6787 Huawei, 1686 Toyota Motor Europe and other car manufacturers are currently carrying out technical field trials on testing LTE-Vehicular (LTE-V), which is seen as a potential enabler for road safety applications and traffic control services as well as emerging automated driving use.

The tests, which are being carried out on the A9 motorway in Germany, with the objective of assessing the performance of LTE-V for connected vehicle communications during its standardisation process.

LTE-V is an evolution variant of the fourth generation standard for mobile communications LTE (4G) and is specifically designed to meet automotive requirements for both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. It can address multiple application types ranging from connected vehicle safety applications (e.g. collision warning, pedestrian warning, etc.) to connected vehicle smart mobility applications for increased efficiency. It is being specified within the European 3GPP project that develops telecommunications standards as part of their Release 14.

Using test cars, the technology has to prove itself under various scenarios and environmental conditions encountered in real life to evaluate its performance and feasibility for different future use cases and applications. Deutsche Telekom infrastructure has been specially equipped with LTE-V hardware from Huawei to support the trial scenarios. Audi, Toyota Motor Europe and other car manufacturers have equipped research cars with the LTE-V hardware developed by Huawei.

Based on the trial results and experience gained, the partners will provide input into the standards specifications for LTE-V. The partners are also contributing to requirements definition for later releases of the 3GPP project, which will aim to enable a wide range of emerging use cases from connected and automated driving to new mobility services in the 5G era from 2020.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • NGMN calls on EC to rethink connected car technology
    December 12, 2018
    An organisation representing telecoms network operators has warned European lawmakers that their vision for the development of cooperative ITS (C-ITS) risks being too narrow. In a letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, the board of the NGMN Alliance highlights a key piece of EC legislation which will determine the technologies used for connected vehicles – and urges the inclusion of cellular-V2X (C-V2X) on the list. “Despite the EC’s stated commitment to technology neutrality, we
  • Counting the environmental costs of ITS deployment
    October 29, 2015
    David Crawford looks at the latest thinking about calculating the benefits associated with the environmental side of ITS schemes. The penny is dropping that some environmental costs “are being shifted outside the traditional bounds of evaluation methods” for ITS-based road transport projects, according to researchers at the UK University of Leeds’ Institute for Transport Studies.
  • C-ITS in Europe: From vision to reality
    September 18, 2024
    While improved safety is the main aim of Europe’s emerging C-ITS network, it is not the only one. Lessons are being learned and functionality is expanding. Andrew Stone reports on progress…
  • THEA tests connected vehicle technology in Florida
    February 7, 2019
    The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) in Florida trialled connected vehicle technology which it says could lead to collision avoidance in real life. The test was carried out as part of the THEA Connected Vehicle (CV) pilot, an initiative which relies on wireless communication between onboard units that have been mounted on poles along the Slemon Expressway and throughout downtown Tampa. A special rearview mirror was installed in eight vehicles to display safety alerts to drivers. The ve