When the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) did a live test of 5G cellular communications and Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) technology in Blacksburg, Virginia, Stellantis was there to see it. The live test of the new driver and pedestrian safety concept was a way to try new technology for road safety that can move around on the road.
Ned Curic, the Chief Technology Officer of Stellantis, says "that the goal is to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians. These live tests will be done in the Jeep Wrangler 4xe Plug-in Hybrid, equipped with V2X technologies and safety alerts for the driver. At 5GAA, we work with industry leaders worldwide to make it easier for autonomous technologies to be used in our products and, in the end, for our customers to use them."
Stellantis is involved in many projects worldwide that are testing 5G cellular technology and extensive data management, including how to size and configure in-car computing capacity. Similar testing is done in Turin and Italy. High-speed wireless communication is essential for cars to be more autonomous and for new connected services and mobility technologies in the future.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe Plug-in Hybrid has test equipment that allows it to tell nearby infrastructure where it is so pedestrians and other cars can see it and get cellular network alerts in case of an emergency.
The 5GAA concept for connected cars uses fixed cameras and sensors to get more information than the car's systems can bring. The data can help the car figure out what is going on around it. For example, at a busy intersection, the system can make quick decisions about safety risks for pedestrians and oncoming cars if it has a high-speed cell phone connection and a MEC.
Intel, Verizon, American Tower, CapGemini, Telus, Harman, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and the Virginia Department of Transportation are some companies that took part in the 5GAA in Virginia.
