v2x

Autotalks, Volkswagen, Bosch and Commsignia set to demonstrate V2X-enabled cyclists’ protection technology

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Autotalks, a global provider of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions, announced that it is collaborating with Volkswagen (VW), Bosch eBike Systems and Commsignia to demonstrate how V2X can prevent one of the most common bike-vehicle collisions. The demonstration will take place at the SECUR (Safety Enhancement through Connected Users on the Road) Final Event, which will be held between March 29 and March 30 near Paris.

The demo by Autotalks, Volkswagen, Bosch eBike Systems and Commsignia will show an obstructed intersection use case, where the vision of the car or eBike coming from one direction is blocked and crossing the intersection might be dangerous. Thanks to the Autotalks technology integrated by Bosch eBike Systems and the Commsignia software, the V2X-enabled bicycle will communicate with a VW vehicle to alert it of its presence in order to avoid a possible crash in the obstructed intersection.

In Europe, VW’s models Golf and ID electrical vehicles are already equipped with V2X, yet do not include bike detection. Bosch eBike Systems is one of the leading manufacturers of eBike systems in the premium segment, and is committed to safe and responsible eBiking. The company envisions to provide eBikes with digital visibility, in order to ensure that the eBike is also part of future V2X communication.

The demo will use Autotalks’ innovative ZooZ technology. ZooZ is an advanced V2X device that was specifically developed to prevent bike and scooter accidents. Installed on the handlebar of any bicycle, it provides real-time alerts to cyclists when a vehicle equipped with V2X is posing a potential danger. Additionally, it alerts V2X-equipped vehicles and smart infrastructure to the presence of a cyclist, allowing drivers to be notified and take precautions when the cyclist may be at risk. ZooZ plug & play device is equipped with a software stack provided by V2X software provider Commsignia.

Everyday mobility may include complex situations, such as at intersections when a car driver may not see a cyclist. V2X technology helps take the next step in cyclists’ protection. and allow cyclists to be noticed so that they can feel even more safe and confident at intersections.

The SECUR project is a European industrial consortium which develops a proposal for V2X testing and assessment protocols for the Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). The consortium studied the potential of connectivity, especially of V2X technologies, to improve the safety of different road users.

“The collaboration with VW and Bosch eBike Systems within the framework of the SECUR project is not only a vote of confidence in Autotalks’ pioneering micro-mobility V2X-powered technology, but also marks a step in making the world even safer for vulnerable road users. This is good news for cyclists, who will be able to feel even more confidence on the road,” said Onn Haran, Founder and CTO of Autotalks. “By adopting SECUR’s strong data-driven results, EuroNCAP should be the main catalyst leading to a widespread deployment of V2X by European OEMs, in the same way that CNCAP led the widespread deployment of V2X in China.”

Florida and Colorado to deploy Autotalks and Yunex Traffic V2X solution

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Autotalks, a global provider of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions, announced that it is collaborating with Yunex Traffic to deploy V2X technology in the United States. As part of the collaboration, the two companies will install Yunex Traffic’s RSU2X, powerful connected vehicle Roadside Units (RSUs) equipped with Autotalks’ V2X chipsets in Florida and Colorado.

The RSUs will allow vehicles and infrastructure to communicate with each other to provide improved safety and efficiency across all forms of mobility including public transportation, cars, trucks, bicycles and even pedestrians. They come with significant built-in V2X capability and are currently set for multiple uses including bus and emergency vehicle prioritization as well as detection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

The announcement comes after the U.S. Government stated it would allocate $6.4 billion over five years to fund projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a budget which will also help support V2X infrastructure projects.

Yunex Traffic’s RSU2X roadside will be used across the Colorado Department of Transportation’s roadway network and in Florida by the city of Tampa, on Florida’s Turnpike, and on Interstate 4 (I-4). The RSU2X is also a crucial element of pilots and tests with the Florida Department of Transportation Traffic Engineering Research Laboratory and the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority in its nationally recognized Connected Vehicle Pilot (THEA CV Pilot). While some tests and deployments are already underway, a majority of the installations will take place between fall 2022 and spring 2023.

The advanced and robust RSU2X units powered by Autotalks’ technology can be used to connect highways, roads, and bike lanes. They constitute a key enabler for C-ITS and Connected Roads applications, bringing more adaptive safety traffic management solutions to the market now and enabling safer autonomous driving in the future. The RSU2X units will be complemented by Yunex Traffic’s new deployment-ready OBU2X On-Board Unit (OBU) for the aftermarket, also based on Autotalks’ chipsets.

The Yunex Traffic RSU2X is the central interface for wireless communication between roadside infrastructure and Onboard Units. The bidirectional communication via the RSU enables both the transmission of information like speed limits, and the reception of Onboard messages like pedestrian warnings, all in real time. The RSU2X provides key data for a more precise picture of the current traffic situation, enabling more efficient traffic control, a significant reduction in traffic crashes, and an even greater cut in emissions.

“The deployment of our V2X solutions in Florida and Colorado through the partnership with Yunex Traffic marks another milestone in our business momentum and brings our infiltration into the U.S. market to the next level,” said Hagai Zyss, CEO of Autotalks. “The new collaboration comes at a time when the selection of C-V2X instead of DSRC as the preferred V2X technology in the U.S. is finalized. The V2X solutions we and Yunex Traffic are offering meet the regulations and provide certainty for deployment.”

Zyss added: “The U.S. dedicated a $6.4 billion budget to carbon emission reduction, and V2X infrastructure plays an important role in that. Decision makers should make sure that all new roads will be connected roads.”

Autotalks unveiled a V2X safety device for bikes and scooters

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Autotalks, a V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions provider, announces the immediate availability of ZooZ 2, the second generation of its V2X device for micro-mobility, both electric and non-electric. This technologically advanced yet affordable device was created to prevent bike and scooter accidents.

Four bike and component companies will soon launch ZooZ 2 pilots, and two vehicle manufacturers (OEMs) are about to start validation tests of the new solution. The device was successfully used to demonstrate the protection of vulnerable road users as part of the Project SECUR (Safety Enhancement through Connected Users on the Road), a European industrial consortium which develops a proposal for V2X testing and assessment protocols for the Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program). The new solution operates in both DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) V2X and C-V2X communications technologies.

The ZooZ 2 solution is a compact V2X device, which is installed on the handlebar. It alerts the cyclist when a vehicle equipped with V2X is endangering him or her. It also informs V2X-equipped vehicles and smart infrastructure about the existence of the cyclist, for alerting a driver on endangering a cyclist.

The plug & play device is equipped with a software stack provided by V2X software provider Commsignia. Commsignia’s high-quality V2X software is interoperable with any standard V2X equipment globally.

The new device upgrades the first-generation ZooZ platform based on market feedback. The upgrades include a clearer Human Machine Interface (HMI), improved alerts to riders and better installation flexibility. The solution will also enable all road-users, including cars, bikers, scooters, motorcycles, and pedestrians, to communicate with each other through V2X and form a safety network. The device allows micro-mobility OEMs as well as light vehicle and commercial vehicle OEMs to immediately start testing, validating, and designing solutions for one of the most dangerous micro-mobility scenarios – accidents at intersections.

According to statistics from the UK, almost two thirds of cyclists killed or seriously injured were involved in collisions at, or near, a road junction, with T-junctions being the most commonly involved. The research also found that roundabouts are particularly dangerous junctions for cyclists.

Last week, Autotalks presented the ZooZ 2 device at the Velo-City Conference, the world cycling summit, which took place between June 14th and June 17th, 2022, in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

“Autotalks regards all road accidents as preventable, and those accidents involving bikes and scooters deserve special attention,” said Onn Haran, founder and CTO of Autotalks, and the inventor of the world’s first V2X chipset. “Add this to the fact the V2X is the best relevant safety technology, our pioneering V2X capabilities and Commsignia’s leading V2X stack, and you get ZooZ 2, which has the potential to eliminate road accidents involving two-wheelers at intersections. We’re committed to making our new micro-mobility safety device available immediately in order to save the lives of two-wheeler riders around the globe.”

“V2X has the power to make the invisible visible, and we are excited to leverage this capability of our technology to make roads safer for bikers. Our longtime partnership with Autotalks has already resulted in great projects, and once again we are happy to contribute to the ZooZ device with our V2X software expertise. Micromobility is on the rise, and this cooperation is a great example to showcase how V2X technology can protect all participants of the traffic,” said Szabolcs Patay, CRO of Commsignia.

“Only V2X can make a major difference in road safety”

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Above: Autotalks Founder and CTO Onn Haran (right) and CEO Hagai Zyss. Credit: Techtime

Autotalks has reached the same interim stage many developers for the automotive industry find themselves in: waiting for their new technologies to reach mass production. This exciting stage is evidenced in the company’s announcement that its orders backlog has grown to approximately $200 million, even though, according to CEO Hagai Zyss, “We are not at the mass production stage as of yet.”

Israel-based Autotalks is widely considered the first company to develop Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) chipsets, enabling communication between vehicles, other road users, and traffic infrastructure. It was also the first company to integrate DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communications) technology and the competing C-V2X (cellular V2X) technology on a single chipset. To date, it’s the only company in the world that provides chipsets that use both technologies, and its designs have received awards from six large automakers.

Pioneer of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) market

Autotalks was founded in 2008 and, to date, has raised $130 million. In an interview with Techtime, the Founder and CTO Onn Haran and CEO Hagai Zyss discussed what the competition in the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) sector looks like, the target gate for the global industry, and where, in his opinion, the greatest potential of the new market lies (hint: it’s not cars).  “The automotive industry has exhausted its ability to enhance vehicle safety. Consequently, this has fueled the need for a radical change, which only V2X can provide,” says Onn Haran.

“Electronic safety sensors, such as Mobileye, can detect basic driver mistakes but aren’t doing enough to really transform the industry. Only V2X technology can make a major difference in road safety since it is the only sensor that can detect dangers not merely in line of sight.” Haran and Zyss first met during their military service.

Later, Haran worked at Texas Instruments and was CTO at Passave, while Zyss joined EZchip Semiconductors and Ceragon, where he was deputy CEO. In 2008, Haran discovered that the deployment of vehicle-to-vehicle communications technologies was well underway in Japan, subsequently influencing the founding model of Autotalks. The company’s first prototype was deployed in 2010 on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) which saw the company win its first tender in Japan.

Autotalks' solution for Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) outside the vehicle
Autotalks’ solution for Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) outside the vehicle

Qualcomm has changed the entire industry

Initially, the industry focused on solutions supporting the proprietary DSRC protocol, but later, Qualcomm, who dominated the cellular industry at the time, promoted its C-V2X concept – partly because many of the protocols in this technology were born in the cellular industry. Most countries in the world adopted the C-V2X protocol, except for the European Union, which opted to continue to deploy DSRC. “We began developing DSRC solutions and later adopted C-V2X. Today we are the only company that provides a dual-mode chipset that can support both.”

The global revolution of 2024-2025

“The barrier to entry in this industry is high, and the computing and development challenges faced are exceptionally difficult. A chipset needs to receive data from a varied and vast number of vehicles simultaneously and in real-time as well as to validate the source of each broadcast. Our chipset can validate the communication signals from 200 different sources simultaneously. There are also very stringent market requirements and regulations that need to be met. Therefore, to ensure we deliver quality solutions, we don’t behave like a startup, but approach business like any large corporation that has to work very carefully and meticulously to meet quality and regulatory requirements.”

When will the technology reach market?

“We expect the breakthrough year for mass use of this technology to be 2024-2025. What we will see in 2023 is that V2X will be placed in the safety star ratings of vehicles in Europe, EuroNCAP. Once it is known that V2X can positively influence a car’s safety score, we will see a surge in carmakers planning for V2X deployments.”

Surprise: the largest market will be outside the vehicle

Haran says that Autotalks is also active in the infrastructure sector, which is smaller than the vehicles market. “Some traffic lights can already identify an approaching emergency vehicle and enable it to pass uninterrupted. Our prime target in this market is protecting vulnerable road users. You must remember that the number of fatalities inside a vehicle is lower than that outside of a car. To this end, the current trend in large cities is to encourage the use of micro-mobility which means that, unfortunately, cyclists and scooters are increasingly the victims of accidents involving cars.

“Today, the bestselling electric vehicle is the electric bicycle. It is common in Europe to spend as much as €5,000 on an electric bicycle. We believe they should all be fitted with V2X protection because other vehicle sensors cannot accurately identify them. This brings us to our next challenge – a V2X system for bicycles. Our ZooZ micro-mobility platform must be affordable for the manufacturer and compact enough to fit onto a bike. Remember, a bike’s speed and mechanics are different, so they require different hardware and software optimization. But we see real potential in this market and believe that the non-vehicle market will ultimately be V2X’s greatest opportunity.”

Autotalks Doubles Backlog to $200 Million

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Autotalks, a provider of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions, announced that it has doubled its backlog orders in 2021 to $200 million. During 2021, Autotalks has doubled the number of its automotive OEMs clients to six, after winning contracts to provide its V2X chipsets to three additional top auto manufacturers – one in Europe, one in Japan, and one in China. The company has been supplying its V2X chipsets for global infrastructure and smart city projects and has secured contracts for future large projects.

The V2X market in which Autotalks is operating is growing rapidly. Virtually all RFIs (Requests for Information) or RFQs (Requests for Quotes) of Telematics Control Units (TCUs) in 2021 required the installation of V2X devices. Alternatively, some OEMs are adding dedicated standalone V2X Electronic Control Units (ECUs). This trend was partly driven by the perpetrations toward the inclusion of V2X in the safety performance assessment program EuroNCAP in Europe and the similar Chinese program C-NCAP.

“There are good reasons why 2021 was a very good year for us,” said Hagai Zyss, CEO of Autotalks. “Autotalks offers the world’s only dual mode V2X chipset solution, which suits both the DSRC protocol that is used in Europe, and the C-V2X protocol that is used in the US and China. We offer flexible architecture, backed up by an innovative roadmap which matches the requirements of OEMs. On top of that, our V2X system is isolated in a way that provides the highest possible security and safety.”

Zyss continued: “Looking forward towards 2022, we expect additional major wins of top OEMs. Simultaneously, we aim to use our V2X-based micro-mobility platform, ZooZ, in order to expand safety for vulnerable road users such as cyclists and e-scooter riders.”

Foxconn invests $10 million in Autotalks

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Foxconn Interconnect Technology (FIT), a subsidiary of Foxconn (Hon Hai Technology Group), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, announced investment of $10 million in Autotalks, a strategic collaboration agreement between the two companies. The joint micro-mobility activity will start this year, on the basis of Autotalks’ ZooZ micro-mobility platform which was recently launched.

ZooZ platform is composed of a ZooZ device installed on the bike or scooter, alerting when a V2X vehicle is endangering the cyclist, and a ZooZ smart sign, lighting up when a ZooZ device is approaching an intersection. The joint automotive activity will start early next year. Autotalks provides V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) chipset to allow direct communication between vehicles and all other road users, without using the cellular network.

Each unit transmits ten times per second its location, speed, and heading. Each unit receives messages from other road users, analyzes those locally, and detects a risk if exists. The communication is range is more than 300 meter in dense urban areas and more than 1 kilometer on highways. “We see Autotalks as the provider of the world’s most trusted V2X solution,” said Thomas Fann, Special Assistant to Chairman at FIT.

Autotalks joins SECUR project to validate V2X role in road safety

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Autotalks, a global leading provider of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communication solutions, joined the SECUR (Safety Enhancement through Connected Users on the Road) project, coordinated by UTAC CERAM Millbrook to improve the safety of all road users. The project will provide several inputs on testing and assessing the V2X systems for the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) in 2025. SECUR consists of the world’s leading OEMs, Tier1s and test labs, including Toyota, Honda, Renault, Volkswagen, Denso, Bosch, Continental, Valeo and many other companies. Autotalks is currently the only semiconductor and the only Israeli company in the group that will contribute its expertise in how V2X communications can improve road safety.

In the next two years, SECUR has set a goal to complete the task of defining the V2X test procedure that will serve as the basis for the new safety rating by the EuroNCAP 2025. Euro NCAP is responsible for the industry’s most important safety rating, and in recent years has increasingly focused its attention on advanced safety technologies. V2X harnesses vehicle to road users and vehicle to traffic infrastructure communications to improve road safety. Global road safety agencies project a significant reduction in traffic accidents with the adoption of V2X technology.

At the conclusion of the two-year long research period, results will be made public and will be integrated into the Euro NCAP 2025 roadmap. In the past, Euro NCAP recommendations were almost always followed by similar organizations around the world. This will no doubt be the case with V2X. Traditionally, safety features approved by EuroNCAP have become common in nearly every new vehicle within a couple of years. The significance of EuroNCAP is underscored by the fact that 89% of all vehicles sold in Europe have a 4- or 5-star rating and 97% of all new vehicles sold in Europe have a EuroNCAP rating.

“We believe our decade of experience with V2X technology can serve as a tremendous contribution in defining the standard for the industry,” said Onn Haran, CTO, and Founder of Autotalks. He added that the acceleration of V2X deployment, combined with the crucial NCAP stamp of approval, once granted, will lead to V2X being installed in every new car.

Autotalks’ production-ready chipset fully meets all the requirements for European deployment. In addition, the dual-technology operation enables a single platform, supporting both DSRC and C-V2X for reducing development costs and efforts by OEMs and tier1s.