Data exchange involves “on-board units” – the car is fitted with a modem, two antennas and software – and “road-side units”, which are connected to traffic management centres.
The test is part of the SCOOP project, launched in 2014. SCOOP is a French pilot intelligent transport system that aims to enhance road safety and improve traffic management, making it a key step in autonomous and connected vehicle deployment. Indeed, V2X communication (like V2C, Vehicle-to-Car and V2I, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure) can help anticipate certain events. The information exchanged between the vehicles and the infrastructure will fill in the gaps in that obtained by the cameras and radars that will equip the autonomous vehicle.
Today, the project consists in testing V2X standards in real on-road conditions. More than 2,000 kilometres of French roads are being equipped; the current project’s perimeter covers 15 use cases. (See the table in the Appendix)
The design and validation procedures for SCOOP system are similar to those for a series-production vehicle; the existing interface already integrates the SCOOP alerts.
Information sharing is compliant with data protection rules and cybersecurity standards; the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) has vetted the project.
SCOOP’s appeal is that it has established a common language between many stakeholders:
– Carmakers (Groupe PSA and Renault), which are involved in the project and are fitting the connected vehicles with the on-board units;
– Regional road infrastructure departments (Aquitaine, Ouest, Isère, Ile de France) and a motorway concession holder (Sanef), which are installing the road-side units;
– Several suppliers of vehicle and roadside systems, which are also contributing to the project;
– A telecom operator (Orange), which is ensuring the continuity of communication on the various networks;
– The French Ministry of Transport, which is coordinating the entire SCOOP project.
Groupe PSA is working on several avenues for the rollout of V2X communication, whether through the SCOOP project or as part of the C-V2X project launched recently in partnership with Qualcomm.
