Emergency Vehicles to control Traffic Lights

A cooperation between Autotalks from Israel and Applied Information from Atlanta, Georgia, may change many concepts regarding the role of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications. The two companies are carrying out a unique active V2X deployment, that allows emergency vehicles to control roadside units such as traffic lights.

Applied Information has developed a Dual-Mode/Dual-Active Roadside Unit to communicate with vehicles equipped with V2X On Board Units. The systems employs Autotalks’ dual mode chipsets, that supports both DSRC standards (802.11p/ITS-G5) and C-V2X (Cellular V2X based on 3GPP release 14 and 15 specifications) with embedded cyber-security functionality. The chipset allows customers to easily toggle between DSRC and C-V2X.

The initial deployment will take place in Alpharetta, Georgia. In Alpharetta, over 150 traffic control devices are connected. Applied Information has signed similar agreements in Texas and Hawaii, where the two companies are cooperating in similar deployments. During the Alpharetta pilot, the system will activate a signal preemption function which transfers the normal operation of the traffic control devices to a mode of operation which gives the right of way to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firefighting vehicles, while all other traffic is brought safely to a halt.

Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information (left) and Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks
Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information (left) and Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks

As a result, these vehicles can arrive to their destination earlier and have better chances to save lives. The deployment is expected to include other use cases beyond emergency vehicles, such as transit bus priority, red light running alerts and “get ready for green” message to make traffic move more safely and efficiently through signalized intersections.

“Our work is another proof that the auto industry is determined not to wait until the US regulator will decide which V2X technology to deploy. Whether C-V2X or DSRC is selected, there is a move to deploy agnostic technologies,” said Yuval Lachman, VP of business development at Autotalks. “The AI/Autotalks solution enables roadway operators to confidently deploy V2X technology today,” said Bryan Mulligan, president of Applied Information.

Autotalks to provide more than 1 Million C-V2X Chips for a new Chinese Car

The Israeli fabless Autotalks, announced that its chipset was selected for a mass production C-V2X program in China. Techtime has learned that the company will provide more than 1 million communication chipsets, to be embedded in the Telematics Control Unit (TCU) built by a top Tier-1 automotive provider. This is the biggest commercial design win of Autotalks, and one of the biggest connected car projects in China.

The unidentified Chinese car producer plans to build more than million connected cars, and to sell them in the local market. They will be able to connect with each other via the cellular networks, and wherever available, to connect with the local connected road infrastructures. The company said that the selection of its chipset for the project followed rigorous testing and evaluation that proved  it radio performance, security, thermal resiliency and transmit diversity.

It also followed a long process of adapting Autotalks’ products to the Chinese regulations, which was culminated in October 2019, when Autotalks successfully showcased its chipset’s conformance to the Chinese C-V2X standard and its OSCCA-compliant security requirements during interoperability demonstration in a multi-brand C-V2X environment.

This demo brought together 20 automotive companies, including leading automakers ,with 50 demonstration teams to examine how they are working together in a close-to-real-world setting. Autotalks’ C-V2X chipset was used by five different automakers: Renault-Nissan, Brilliance Auto, FAW, Great Wall and another major European OEM.

“This important win is a clear testimony to the trust that leading OEMs and Tiers put in Autotalks, as a global V2X chipset provider,” said Hagai Zyss, CEO of Autotalks. According to the research firm IHS Markit, China is expected to lead the global V2X market, with an estimated 629,000 light vehicles produced in the region equipped with C-V2X technology in 2020, and the country is expected to stay in the lead through 2024.

Autotalks’ C-V2X Chipst is Market-Ready for China

Autotalks, from Kfar Netter, Israel, announced it had successfully showcased its chipset’s conformance to the Chinese C-V2X standard and the Chinese OSCCA security standard, during a large-scale interoperability demonstration of multi-brand C-V2X communication solutions. This demo brought together 20 automotive companies, including leading automakers ,with 50 demonstration teams to examine how they are working together in a close-to-real-world setting.  The demonstration was part of the China SAE Congress and Exhibition, held on October 22-24 in Shanghai.

Autotalks’ C-V2X chipset was used by five different automakers: Renault-Nissan, Brilliance Auto, FAW, Great Wall and another major European OEM, which conducted demonstration rides for hundreds of visitors, exhibiting conformance and interoperability at all levels: chipset, system, software and security. The demonstration included both Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications, including the security features needed to conform the requirements of the Chinese OSCCA standard.

These requirements include a comprehensive protection of the V2X system against cybersecurity attacks through Road Side Units (RSUs). Autotalks announced it had been working closely with its Tier-1 and ecosystem partners to ensure end-to-end conformance and interoperability, and successfully completed interoperability tests with all other C-V2X chipset vendors.

Recently, Autotalks and Neusoft signed a cooperation agreement aimed at forming a strategic partnership for creating a secured global V2X solution. “We are proud to reach this milestone in the fast-growing Intelligent Connected Vehicle (ICV) market in China,” said Ram Shallom, VP Business Development and Marketing in APAC at Autotalks. “The recent successful end-to-end C-V2X demonstration with five car makers and our ecosystem partners, shows the maturity of our C-V2X technology and its readiness for mass deployment.”