How Self-Driving Cars Will Talk to the World
By: Sierra Heuvelman
In order for self-driving cars to actually drive themselves, they’re going to need a way to communicate with the world. This is where vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology comes in. V2X communication is the combination of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication. This technology will allow autonomous vehicles to share data with each other and gather information from the world around them (from traffic lights, weather stations, etc.), thereby optimizing traffic flow, increasing safety, and lessening their environmental impact.
One company that is currently working on V2X communications is Autotalks, a fabless semiconductor company devoted to V2X technology. According to their website, V2X technology has been developed with two very different architectures, DSRC and C-V2X, because it is relatively new and is presently unregulated.
DSCR, Dedicated Short-Range Communications, relies on Wi-Fi to directly communicate with infrastructure and other vehicles, without the use of a cellular network. DSCR has been popularized in the western world and has been deployed by Autotalks in Europe and the US since 2017.
C-V2X, cellular vehicle-to-everything, is based on cellular modem technology. While it is not currently in production, it has become a popular prospective option in China and is favored by cellular companies and some automotive OEMs.
These divergent standards of V2X technology has made it difficult to picture a global solution for autonomous vehicles. However, Autotalks may have found a compromise. They have developed chipsets that are mass-market ready and have dual modes — they support both DSCR and C-V2X. By accommodating both forms of V2X communications on one chipset, Autotalks is bringing the idea of a global fleet of autonomous vehicles significantly closer to reality.
