Connected vehicle technology coming to Virginia
Drivers of select vehicles in Virginia are going to be part of the initial deployment of next-generation “Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything” technology.
The technology (C-V2X) will be used on Northern Virginia roads with a focus on work-zone warnings and red-light signal phase transmissions, according to a news release last week from Qualcomm Technologies, which has partnered with Audi of America and the Virginia Department of Transportation to launch the program. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is developing the software and other system technology for the program.
Qualcomm is providing the transmitter chips used in Audi Q8 SUVs for traffic light information. The system will run on the 5.9 GHz spectrum, which the FCC has proposed for connected vehicle usage.
The project is expected to be launched in the latter half of the year.
Cathy McGhee, the director of Virginia’s Transportation Research and Innovation, touted the technology’s capabilities.
“The inclusion of shorter-range, direct communication in the 5.9 GHz band using C-V2X is exciting,” she said in the release, “as it can allow us to evaluate this emerging communication option for essential and practical safety and mobility services, including saving the lives of maintenance and construction personnel in work zones.”
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