The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced goals and target dates to implement vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technologies across the nation in an effort to increase roadway safety and efficiency.
On Friday, Aug. 16, the U.S. DOT introduced its National V2X Deployment Plan. The nonbinding roadmap sets certain goals for implementing V2X technology. Since the emerging technology spans across a variety of private sector industries and government agencies, the plan calls for mass collaboration among stakeholders.
Although V2X technology is expected to play a major role in transportation in the not-too-distant future, stakeholders and government officials have raised national security concerns about the new tech.
What is V2X technology?
V2X technology is essentially a suite of technologies that allow vehicles to send and receive information in real time.
The goal of V2X technology is for vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, drivers, pedestrians and their surroundings. It involves the combination of the following technologies:
- Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V): crash avoidance and lane-changing technologies. Advanced V2V could detect a car slamming its brakes, informing vehicles behind it to avoid a pile-up.
- Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I): Smart traffic lights and parking meters could relay information, or autonomous vehicles could identify road markings.
- Vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P): Potential examples include detecting bicyclists, strollers or people with visual impairment.
Currently, there are no vehicles on the road that can communicate with other vehicles. Volvo has a V2V system that can alert other Volvo vehicles of slippery roads and other hazards. However, the cloud-based network cannot communicate with other manufacturers’ vehicles. Truck platooning is another example of current V2V technology.
This massive amount of communication will require large networks to facilitate the flow of information. In 1999, the Federal Communications Commission allocated most of the 5.9 GHz band to transportation-related communications. However, the FCC took a lot of that away in November 2020. An explainer of what all that means can be found here.
V2X technology has the potential to save lives, increase fuel efficiency and save people time and money.
DOT’s V2X deployment plan
With so many cooks in the kitchen, the U.S. DOT’s V2X plan attempts to coordinate all aspects of the technology deployment to ensure all stakeholders are on the same page and equipped to perform their roles.
Acting much like a project manager, the DOT has set short-, medium- and long-term goals to provide some level of certainty for stakeholders. To help everyone meet these goals, the federal government will provide technical assistance and seed funding and will push for the FCC to reallocate the entire 5.9 GHz spectrum to transportation communications.
Nothing in the V2X deployment plan is binding, nor does it imply dedicated funding. Without having the effect of legislation or regulation, it is meant to serve as a roadmap for stakeholders to use while offering some resources. In June, the DOT awarded $60 million in grants to three V2X deployment projects.
In the short term (2024-28), the DOT wants 20% of the National Highway System to have V2X technology, with the top 75 metro areas having 25% of signalized intersection V2X capability. The plan calls for at least two vehicle manufacturers to commit to 5.9 GHz-capable vehicles by model year 2028.
Those goals nearly double by 2031 and double again by 2036. In about 10 years, the DOT’s plan calls for the entire National Highway System to have V2X technology and 75% of the nation’s intersections to be equipped with the tech. By 2036, six manufacturers could have vehicles capable of using the technology, with 20 vehicle models fully V2X-capable.
“V2X connectivity is an important transformational technology that not only advances safety but also enhances mobility, bolsters efficiency, improves equity and reduces negative environmental impacts,” the final plan states. “Accelerating V2X deployment now is a crucial step toward saving lives with connectivity.”
Hurdles and safety concerns
Standing in the way of V2X deployment is allocation of the 5.9 GHz spectrum and national security concerns.
V2X technology will rely heavily on the 5.9 GHz wireless spectrum to send information. Although 75 megahertz was originally reserved for transportation, the FCC made the lower 45 megahertz available to unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi, leaving only the upper 30 megahertz for transportation. The FCC argued that V2X was not utilizing the full spectrum and therefore did not need it.
However, stakeholders and the DOT have been fighting to reclaim the entire 5.9 GHz spectrum, arguing it is necessary for full deployment of V2X technology. The DOT has set up a webpage dedicated to explaining the need for the full spectrum. Part of the deployment plan is to reclaim the lower 45 megahertz.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Commerce is addressing national security concerns surrounding connected vehicles.
In March, the department issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking information about the security of connected vehicles. Specifically, the federal government is trying to draft regulations that would protect connected vehicles from technologies tied to foreign adversaries like China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
“It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of how foreign government with access to connected vehicles could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the personal privacy of U.S. citizens,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “To assess these national security concerns, we are issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to investigate the national security risks of connected vehicles, specifically (People’s Republic of China)-manufactured technology in the vehicles. We need to understand the extent of the technology in these cars that can capture wide swaths of data or remotely disable or manipulate connected vehicles, so we are soliciting information to determine whether to take action under our (information and communications technology and services) authorities.” LL
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