Audi of America and partners Applied Information, Blue Bird, Fulton County School System, City of Alpharetta, and Temple, Inc. have completed a cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) initial deployment aimed at helping to prevent some of the more than 25,000 injuries and 100 fatalities that occur in school zones and at school bus stops in the U.S. annually. The continued refinement of the technology will enable communities to begin to lay the groundwork for integration with future production vehicles.
The ability to realize the potential safety benefits of C-V2X technology became possible following a U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling reached in November 2020 and published in May 2021 that allocated a portion of the 5.9-GHz cellular band for C-V2X applications for the first time. The decision paved the way for automakers to deploy standardized messages for vehicles to speak to one another.
With the collaboration commencing in 2020, the deployment leveraged C-V2X solutions provided by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Commsignia to test roadside units (RSUs) from Applied Information, which were mounted in flashing speed-limit signs near school zones. A 2021 Audi e-tron Sportback electric SUV and a Blue Bird school bus were also equipped with related Qualcomm and Commsignia C-V2X solutions.
“Using next-generation cellular technology, we have an opportunity to help save lives of some of the most vulnerable road users — school children,” said Anupam Malhotra, Senior Director, Connected Services, Audi of America. “Around the country, Audi continues to take a leading role, working with partners in communities to show how C-V2X and the 5.9-GHz band can help reduce traffic hazards and improve congestion management when these technologies become ubiquitous.”
The technology can warn drivers when they’re entering an active school zone or approaching a school bus to reduce risks for children and vulnerable road users.
“This technology can help prevent accidents during student pickup and dropoff, which is when students are most at risk,” said Trevor Rudderham, SVP, Product Planning, Blue Bird Corp. “While more stringent stop-arm laws and even camera systems help bring awareness to school buses, C-V2X could be programmed to warn drivers of upcoming school bus stops.”
The initial deployment demonstrated that, when active in school zones, the RSU designed to send a direct, low-latency signal to the connected Audi alerted the driver with visual and audible warnings to slow down. Similarly, when a Blue Bird school bus extends its stop arm, it alerts oncoming traffic that children may be entering or exiting a school bus. This is especially helpful on curvy or hilly roads where a driver might not be able to see the bus.
“The addition of Blue Bird and a large school district like Fulton County Schools completes the picture of all major players who are eager to unlock the benefits of emerging C-V2X technology for children too often exposed to danger during their school days,” said Brad Stertz, Director, Government Affairs, Audi of America.
Studies show that stop-arm violations—when a car drives past a stopped school bus illegally—continue to be one of the most significant dangers to children and other vulnerable road users around school buses with an estimated 17 million stop-arm violations in the U.S. in 2019.
The initial deployment is taking place in Alpharetta, GA, an Atlanta suburb where Applied Information develops next-generation communications technology with connected infrastructure throughout its 78.5-mi2 testing zone, including more than 130 connected traffic signals.
“We are excited to have Blue Bird as a major component of this public/private partnership developing these potentially life-saving applications,” said Bryan Mulligan, President, Applied Information, Inc. “As the leading innovator in school bus safety and efficiency, Blue Bird will help make these safety applications standard practice in the industry.”
The partners tested C-V2X through both LTE and 5G networks with the Fulton County School System, one of Georgia’s largest school districts. Together, the partners are fine-tuning the technology on closed courses at the Infrastructure-Automotive Testing Laboratory (iATL) facility and with buses and connected road signs in real-world traffic conditions in Alpharetta city traffic.
Moving forward, the partners see significant opportunities to deploy C-V2X systems nationwide so that vehicle manufacturers, companies that create roadside infrastructure, and local authorities can deliver increased road safety that particularly benefits school children. Additionally, vehicles with built-in technology, such as the Blue Bird school bus used in this deployment, demonstrate how vehicles can communicate with road signs and traffic-control devices and opens up opportunities to use in different public vehicles such as buses, emergency vehicles, and other service equipment.
Using algorithms developed by Audi and the Volkswagen Group’s Innovation and Engineering Center in Silicon Valley, California, technical teams from the partners are able to evaluate optimal warning times and distances for C-V2X to function to safely augment the driving experience. Using direct C-V2X communication, a vehicle is able to pick up a basic safety message every 100 ms, taking topography, time of day for school zones, and indirect cell tower communications into consideration.
In February, Commsignia announced that its V2X software and security stack works with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Automotive 4G and 5G platforms, the technology leveraging Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 2150 platform for computational power. The Snapdragon Automotive 4G/5G and 2150 platforms are optimized for the mass production-ready onboard units (OBUs) and RSUs for long-range communications while providing C-V2X direct short-range connectivity enabling low latency V2X communication.
With this important milestone, Commsignia provides OEMs and Tier 1 automotive suppliers an up-to-date, highly efficient, production-grade C-V2X solution on all Qualcomm Automotive wireless solutions. The software stack complies with the latest standards and industry requirements, including ASPICE and MISRA C, fulfilling high-quality requirements of the automotive industry.
