First large scale road test for smart vehicles launched in China

As part of the Shanghai Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Demonstration Program, the road testing initiative will serve as a foundation for China’s development of smart transportation and vehicle-to-vehicle communications standards.

NXP and its partner Cohda Wireless will provide secure vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2X) communications technology for cars and roadside infrastructure. Road testing will collect V2X communications data in real time from multiple test scenarios, including measures of active safety, traffic management and information services.

The launch of road testing represents a significant milestone for the Shanghai Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Demonstration Program. Launched in October 2015, the first phase of this program now will involve approximately 200 vehicles from the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC), one of China’s largest domestic auto manufacturers, as well as from other participating automakers. As additional carmakers join the program, the aim is to have 1,000 intelligent and connected vehicles by 2017, 5,000 vehicles by the end of 2019, and 10,000 vehicles by 2020.

Today’s announcement of joint NXP/Tongji University support for the V2X road-testing initiative is the latest of many milestones following the foundation of the NXP-Tongji University Joint Lab last year. Dedicated to developing customised connected car solutions for the Chinese market, the lab leverages advanced technologies and products from NXP, as well as the company’s deep automotive expertise.

Both the vehicles and transportation infrastructure units involved in the road tests utilise the newest generation of NXP’s RoadLINK™ solution. RoadLINK technology is based on the IEEE 802.11p wireless communication protocol, and is proven by ten years of testing by multiple European and U.S. government and professional institutions. Utilising the proven 802.11p wireless protocol instead of slower and less reliable cellular networks, the RoadLINK solution delivers deterministic performance for safety-critical applications, while also providing higher levels of security and privacy protection.

“We are pleased to partner with SAIC and Tongji University to further advance the Shanghai Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Demonstration Program,” said Li Zheng, President of NXP Greater China. “Developing intelligent transportation systems is vital for building sustainable cities. As a global leader in secure connected vehicle solutions and autonomous driving platforms, NXP is truly honored to offer the proven reliability of RoadLINK technology and our deep automotive expertise for the creation of world-class intelligent transportation systems in China.”

“SAIC was one of the first companies to deploy intelligent and connected vehicles, and has been actively promoting the development and application of V2X technology in China,” said Zou Qingquan, SAIC’s Head of the Intelligent and Connected Vehicle Program. “We look forward to working with our industry partners to advance the development of the Shanghai Intelligent Connected Vehicles Demonstration Program.”

“A large-scale road test is a significant step in the progress of the demonstration program,” said Professor Wang Ping, Director of the Intelligent and Connected Vehicle program at Tongji University. “We will continue cooperating with NXP and SAIC in order to satisfy the demands of the Chinese market, and to support the development of the intelligent vehicle industry in China.”

Intelligent, connected vehicles and intelligent transportation infrastructure can effectively reduce accidents, improve traffic efficiency and reduce traffic pollution. NXP is a global leader of secure connected vehicle technologies through its RoadLINK solution. RoadLINK has been widely acknowledged for its high level of security, scalability and interoperability, with verified road test results in major global markets including the United States and Europe, and more than one million test kilometres driven. In March 2016, NXP was named a partner of the US Department of Transportation to provide V2X solutions for the Smart City Challenge. And in April, RoadLINK-equipped automated trucks successfully demonstrated self-driving technology during the European Truck Platooning Challenge in four out of six OEM truck platoons, during an event organized by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment held to showcase the economic, traffic management and safety advantages inherent in sophisticated vehicle-to-vehicle communications solutions. Furthermore, NXP and Cohda Wireless will supply their V2X technology to Delphi for implementation in the first V2X-equipped production vehicles in the US planned for later this year.