If you keep up on car tech talk, you’ve probably heard about Cellular Vehicle to Everything Technology, or C-V2X. There are a lot of ideas and promises attached to this technology but as Don Butler, Executive Director, Ford Connected Vehicle Platform and Product, shares in a recent Medium article – it’s a daunting task.
If anyone can do it, Ford can. The Ford engineering team is creating new C-V2X innovations in addition to developing their core technologies.
At the Intelligent Transportation Society of America annual meeting in Washington, D.C. earlier this month, Ford demonstrated two advancements in Cellular Vehicle to Everything Technology (C-V2X). One of the advancements demonstrated is a roadside unit that allows communications between vehicles and other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders using different wireless technologies. The other major advancement is an unalterable blockchain-based system that assists vehicles in negotiating the right of way at multi-way intersections for efficient traffic flow.
Advanced Roadside Communication
Vehicles equipped with C-V2X can communicate with other road users, such as pedestrians, scooter riders and others if they ‘speak’ the same technological language. This allows these C-V2X vehicles to determine the other users’ intended paths. If these other road users intend to cross their path, C-V2X vehicles can avoid a potential risk by ‘speaking’ to users, or if they do not speak the same language, the vehicles can translate signals from various wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, to avoid collisions.
Navigating with Blockchain
Consider a future where we have human drivers alongside autonomous vehicles. What will happen when these vehicles approach a multi-way stop? We will no longer be able to wave at the next driver signaling that it’s their turn to go. However, this is where the blockchain technology becomes crucial. This unalterable blockchain-based system would allow road users to ‘discuss’ who will be entering the intersection and when. This ‘conversation’ happens so quickly, within a fraction of a second, so there would not be any delay while at the intersection. This technology would increase safety, efficiency, and security.
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