Who will win the race for wireless standards for the connected car?
Two radio standards, one goal: maximum road safety. But the race for the Car2X future is about much more: market share, autonomous driving, and which technology sets the global mobility standard.
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The connected car only really makes sense if it also communicates with its surroundings. A wireless standard is needed for this. With ITS-G5 and C-V2X, two promising candidates are at the starting line. But which one will win the race?
Reporting dangers in real time can save lives: tailbacks, construction sites, ambulances on the way - all of this can be transmitted by connected vehicles to the surroundings in a matter of seconds. Provided there is solid radio technology that every vehicle can handle. Two radio standards are ready to go: ITS-G5 (Wi-Fi-based) and C-V2X (cellular-based, 4G/5G). “ITS-G5 and C-V2X are radio standards that serve the same purpose: vehicles should use digital technologies to inform each other about traffic and especially about dangerous situations,” explains Ralph-Michael Goerner, lead engineer with a focus on testing at ITK Engineering.
The technology has long been ready for the market - but industry and politics are holding back because they disagree on who should win the race. The race for the best standard is more than a technical detail - it determines market shares, automated driving, and how quickly and safely connected mobility takes hold.
Strengths and weaknesses of ITS-G5
Without a unified communication basis for “vehicle-to-everything” (V2X), it will not work. What is the current state of affairs? ITS-G5, which is based on the IEEE-802.11p Wi-Fi standard, is considered proven. “ITS-G5 enables very low-latency direct communication without a mobile network and can therefore contribute to traffic safety, especially in structurally weak areas,” explains Paul Hannappel, mobility expert at the industry association Bitkom, “the technology is tried and tested and partly already in series, for example in the VW Golf 8.” Goerner also highlights this. The established Wi-Fi technology is constantly evolving. “However, this is also a disadvantage when many vehicles come together and want to communicate,” says the expert, “the achievable performance and latency deteriorate because many devices compete for the available channels.” In short: the range is limited (around 300 metres) and there is simply a lack of scalability for exchange with cloud services or smart city infrastructures, critics say.
C-V2X: Cellular-based future with range
This is exactly where the competitor comes in: C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything): “C-V2X usually offers greater range and higher robustness in practice. The connection to 5G enables continuous improvements in latency, security, and scalability,” explains Hannappel. C-V2X not only masters direct vehicle communication but is also equipped for new use cases thanks to its network interface, says Goerner: “The C-V2X standard is continuously developed by 3GPP and integrated with the mobile network.” With Release 16, better latency times and throughput rates are achieved than is possible with ITS-5G. BMW and Mercedes-Benz rely on this standard, as do major network operators. They also argue with the advantages of greater range, future-proofing, and easy integration into digital ecosystems such as smart city and cloud services.
Where are the global differences between the two radio standards?
“A shift towards C-V2X is emerging, but regional differences remain,” reports Goerner, “in China, C-V2X is already defined as a mandatory national standard.” It looks similar in the USA. However, with this standard, dependencies on network coverage and thus on network operators arise. Without massive expansion of the 5G infrastructure, a gap between vision and reality threatens. This also means: High investments are still necessary - and at least in this country, it could still take time until the white spots in network coverage disappear.
The global race for the Car2X standard
While elsewhere, like in China, C-V2X is already considered the preferred solution, Europe has long relied on ITS-G5. But now suppliers and network operators are pushing for a global 5G standard to achieve economies of scale. "Europe pursues technology neutrality and has harmonised the 5.9 GHz band for safety-critical C-ITS," explains Hannappel, "This means that both ITS-G5 and C-V2X can be operated here." In practice, the first near-series Day-1 services (such as hazard warnings, traffic light information) are currently mainly running with ITS-G5 - for example in C-Roads projects. "C-V2X is being tested in more and more pilot projects in parallel, often in conjunction with 5G," says the expert, "The goal is interoperability across borders - regardless of which radio path is used."
What applications are made possible by V2X?
This would finally make numerous Car2X applications and business models possible. "With a uniform radio standard or interoperable profiles, Car2X services can be scaled across manufacturers and borders," emphasises Hannappel, "This makes real-time hazard warnings - such as breakdowns, ice, construction sites - information and prioritisation at intersections and traffic lights, as well as predictive speed and route recommendations reliable." For automated driving functions, Car2X enables more stable environmental perception, faster reactions, cooperative driving, and more efficient route selection.
Good to know: These Car2X applications and business models are made possible by committing to a radio standard.
Both standards support direct vehicle communication for:
- V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle): Direct exchange of information between vehicles to share safety messages or optimise lane changes.
- V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure): Exchange of information with infrastructure to, for example, adjust traffic light cycles to traffic or integrate construction site warning systems.
- V2P (Vehicle to Pedestrian): Exchange of information with pedestrians or cyclists via their smartphones to detect them even in hard-to-reach places, such as behind parked vehicles.
C-V2X additionally offers communication via the mobile network:
- V2N (Vehicle to Network): Only through communication over networks are cloud-based applications possible, which go far beyond communication with individual vehicles, people, or infrastructure components.
C-V2X and 802.11p: There will only be one
Which standard will win the race? “In the short to medium term, a hybrid form is realistic. The question of which Car2x technology will prevail in the market in the long term is open,” says Hannappel. Both standards operate in the ITS 5.9 GHz band, says Goerner, C-V2X and 802.11p coexist by using different channels in the same band, so currently a hybrid approach of both technologies exists. For now. “In the course of development towards autonomous driving, C-V2X has clear advantages through its connection with the mobile network and offers the opportunity to further develop vehicle communication,” explains Goerner and comes to a clear conclusion: “From this perspective, it is to be assumed that C-V2X will prevail. This standard will follow the evolution of mobile networks and is therefore an investment in the future security of mobile traffic.”
This article was first published
at automotiveit.eu
