Choosing the Best Vehicle Communication Technology for Safety

Onn Haran, founder and CTO of Autotalks and the inventor of the world's first V2X chipset, delves into the challenges of direct V2X and its cellular equivalent.

Vehicle communication through V2X offers the potential to enhance driver safety and comfort. There are two primary approaches: V2X, which facilitates direct information exchange between nearby road users without involving the cellular network, and V2N2X, which utilizes the cellular network to exchange information via multiple clouds. Hybrid communication integrates both V2X and network communication.

The key decision factors for these technologies include service availability, business model, privacy, latency, and cybersecurity. Clear boundaries must be established to ensure stakeholders and the industry comprehend the distinct functions of each technology to prevent deployment delays or the misuse of technology.

The architecture of a V2X network is simple: a road user broadcasts a message, and nearby road users receive it. In contrast, network communication operates differently. Road user transmission begins by connecting to the manufacturer's cloud via the cellular network, which may involve different mobile operators for each OEM. The data is then sent to a centralized information-sharing cloud before being distributed back to the intended road user through the cellular network.

All OEMs have cloud services, but third-party companies would need to develop safety cloud services for two-wheelers and aftermarket devices. Vehicular communication primarily aims to enhance driver situational awareness and provide warnings in safety-critical scenarios. Situational awareness includes information like lane closures or obstacles on the road, while safety-related actions warn drivers of potential collisions with other road users.

Network communication excels in enhancing situational awareness by providing information about road closures further along the route. However, for safety-related actions, V2X technology is essential due to factors such as service availability, business model, privacy concerns, latency, and cybersecurity.

The FCC's map of cellular coverage in the US reveals poor coverage in rural areas, highlighting the limitations of network communication in ensuring constant availability. Additionally, the business model of V2X proves to be more cost-effective in the long run compared to V2N2X, which incurs substantial monthly fees for cellular network usage.

Privacy concerns are addressed differently in V2X and network communication, with V2X offering more anonymity by using frequently changing IDs. Latency is another crucial factor, with V2X providing deterministic low latency compared to network communication, which involves complex processing across multiple clouds.

Cybersecurity is a significant consideration, with V2X units being more secure due to fewer potential attack vectors compared to network communication. In conclusion, while network communication is valuable for situational awareness, V2X remains the preferred choice for safety-critical applications due to its reliability, cost-effectiveness, anonymity, low latency, and robust cybersecurity measures.