Roadmap of technologies leading to 5G. Source: Qualcomm. Click to enlarge.

C-V2X, with a strong evolution path to 5G, complements other Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) sensors, such as cameras, radar and LiDAR, to provide information about the vehicle’s surroundings, even in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios. In addition to allowing for 360 degree NLOS, C-V2X is also designed to allow for enhanced situational awareness by detecting and exchanging information using direct communications in the 5.9GHz ITS band with other vehicles, infrastructure and pedestrians’ devices, as well as network-based communications to cloud services using commercial cellular bands.

Compared to current technologies, C-V2X is designed to deliver enhanced V2X direct communication range, reliability, latency and superior NLOS performance. The technology is supported by a broad ecosystem based on 3GPP Release 14 specifications, with trials expected to begin later this year.

C-V2X Builds upon the existing LTE connectivity platform for automotive, enhancing LTE Direct for V2X direct communications, and leveraging existing LTE networks for V2X network communications. Accordingly, C-V2X defines two complementary transmission modes:

• PC5 interface for direct communications. This builds upon LTE Direct device-to-device design with enhancements for high speeds / high Doppler, high density, improved synchronization and low latency. This offers proximal direct communications (100s of meters), and operates both in- and out-of-coverage. It can be used for latency-sensitive use cases, e.g., V2V safety.

• Uu interface for network communications. This uses LTE Broadcast to broadcast messages from a V2X server to vehicles and beyond. Vehicles can send messages to server via unicast. This is applicable for more latency-tolerant use cases, e.g. V2N situational awareness.

Wireless communications provide the vehicle with data that truly complements what other sensors deliver. For instance, C-V2X and its evolution to 5G can help the car discover what is around corners, detecting a pedestrian’s smartphone or a car approaching an intersection even when the object is obstructed by buildings or other large vehicles. Building on our successful collaboration on telematics and infotainment systems, which have resulted in more than 25 million cumulative units shipped to date for carmakers throughout all key automotive regions, we are pleased to expand our relationship with LG in ushering in both C-V2X and 5G technologies in future vehicles.

—Patrick Little, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies

C-V2X evolution to 5G offers more wireless communication capabilities for autonomous vehicles, supporting advanced use cases such as high-throughput sensor data/map sharing among vehicles, see-through capabilities streaming camera information from one car to another, and wideband ranging for improved positioning, while maintaining backward compatibility with 3GPP Rel. 14 C-V2X.

With the ability to support multi-Gigabit speeds, mission-critical services with ultra-reliable low latency communication and massive number of nodes, 5G will support a unified connectivity platform to the always connected, autonomous vehicle of the future.