Vodafone starts field trials of connected car platform

connected car

Road safety is being included in telecom operators plans. As such, Vodafone, Nokia and Chordant, with some kind of public sector seal of approval and maybe even public funds, took a step towards that purpose by having it positioned as a ‘mobility cloud platform’.

This seems an initial step towards using the mobile edge to perma-connect cars and allow them to constantly communicate with their environment.

Empower the driver

The main advantage of such a move is to empower the driver with real-time information and sending data to some kind of traffic Big Brother so it can get a better idea of what’s going on, hence the government involvement.

Therefore, this feels like a crucial step towards living the connected car dream that is expected to culminate in fully autonomous driving.

“It’s fantastic to see vehicle to everything mobile technology being deployed on the open road for the first time in the UK,” said Luke Ibbetson, Head of Group R&D at Vodafone.

“While the system is delivered via smartphone, drivers will need to use handsfree equipment. Meanwhile we are working with the automotive industry and road operators to have the technology integrated within vehicles and transport infrastructure to make our roads safer,” he added.

Ash Wheeler, SVP at Chordant said that “Road Operators are seeking to digitally interact and exchange information with vehicles and road users.”

He added: “We’re delighted that, through this partnership and the services we are creating, transport authorities and vehicle manufacturers around the world will be able to test, validate and rapidly deploy standardised C-ITS services over existing cellular networks, improving road safety, reducing congestion and unlocking new driver experiences.”

More intelligent forms of urban transport

In addition, the worldwide sales of connected cars with embedded telematics are estimated to have hit 28.5 million units in 2019, according to Statista.

“The rising number of automobiles and trucks on the world’s streets requires more intelligent forms of urban transport than the conventional ones, and today’s smart cities are providing the smart infrastructure that is needed for the implementation of connected car programs,” it noted.

By 2025, the market for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) is expected to grow to about 36 billion euros. The companies most likely to benefit from the trend towards connected cars include autonomous vehicle startups such as Cruise, Statista noted.

Safety is very important to the development of systems that connect road users across mobile platforms, by having cars running on Vodafone’s edge, Nokia analytics software will apply data insights to make roads safer, provide a better experience for users, and enhance road infrastructure management efficiency in a way that can easily be deployed across multiple geographies.