The car of the future will likely be electric, with some degree of autonomy and more connected services, and safer for both driver and passenger.
That was the consensus of a panel of automotive and connectivity experts who discussed the concept of “connected vehicles” at the Smart Mobility Conference during Mobile World Congress last month.
Much of this vision hinges on 5G technology, which will transform the network infrastructure that future vehicles will need to stay connected.
“The whole movement toward ‘software-defined vehicles’ that require always-on connectivity is happening rapidly,” said Cameron Causey, vice president of connectivity solutions at AT&T.
“[Followed by] As we move towards more electric vehicles with the need to find charging stations, and eventually into the field of self-driving cars, connectivity will become more important…and indeed, 5G will make that possible It’s a method. ”
Improving the safety of future cars
How will 5G enhance the safety of future car users? Simply put: speed.
The majority of today’s connected cars are connected via 4G networks, and 5G could be up to 100 times faster than 4G. This means real-time communication will be faster and more accurate.
Coursey said 5G could enable the creation of a national network to support the safety-based solutions that already exist in the United States for first responders.
“By leveraging advanced network services, we will be able to deliver mission-critical communications such as safety messages,” said Causey.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, better and faster access to emergency and trauma care for traffic accident victims, enabled by 5G, could mean improved survival rates. They found that 20 percent of traumatic deaths caused by accidents are preventable.
Coursey added that 5G could enable data-driven solutions such as smart navigation, more efficient use of roads, and traffic management.
subscribe Government Insider News Stay up to date with the latest in public sector and innovation.
Self-driving cars are just around the corner
Serafino Abate, Volvo’s regulatory affairs expert, also spoke at the conference, stating that Level 5 self-driving cars, capable of fully autonomous driving without human supervision, could be realized by 2028 at the earliest. He said there is.
But he believes commercial use cases such as trucking could hit the roads sooner than “robotaxis” or consumer self-driving cars.
“By 2028 or 2029, [fully autonomous vehicles]” Abate said. “We always talk about self-driving cars, but the reality is that the big potential for Level 5 use cases is in the transportation of goods.”
In Singapore, the latest geospatial master plan jointly developed by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) will see high-speed connectivity and sensor technology integrated with geospatial systems enable autonomous driving. It is emphasized that it is helpful. Systems such as drones, self-driving cars, and robotic systems.
At the launch of the 2024 Master Plan on 6 March, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Communities and Youth Edwin Tong said that advances in geospatial technology and applications will become “increasingly intertwined, interdependent, and…use each other’s knowledge and data.” It depends on the.” It pervades everyday life and our economy. ”
SLA also announced the development of heavy vehicle routing algorithms on the OneMap geospatial platform, leveraging heavy vehicle traffic data from the Container Depot and Logistics Association (Singapore) (CDAS).
This will allow commercial drivers to route heavy vehicles more efficiently and safely, and could be a harbinger of future autonomous routing enabled by geospatial data.
Automotive-based health and wellness solutions
Sarwant Singh, president and chief commercial officer of market research firm MarketsandMarkets, moderated the conference and predicted that future cars will be “elements of connected living solutions.”
Suman Sehera, global vice president of automotive product and platform portfolio management at automotive solutions provider HARMAN, echoed similar sentiments, saying consumers will be the driving force behind what the future automotive experience will look like. He added that it would be.
“Consumers have come to expect their cars to be the same. [than other connected devices], in terms of how you personalize those experiences,” he said. “The power of the consumer is at the epicenter of what’s to come.”
Singh agreed, saying some smart mobility companies are anticipating consumer demand for as many as 300 to 400 connected services for future cars. These services may include health and wellness solutions.
“As an extension of safety, when we think about health, we focus on how we create that environment on and off the plane,” Sehera says. “Of course, we need connectivity to make that happen.”
He added that HARMAN is already developing safety and health products that use sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning to sense a driver’s vital signs and monitor levels of distraction and drowsiness while operating a vehicle. Ta.
Just as smartphones and smartwatches can already provide insights into health and wellbeing, so will the cars of the future.
“You’ll always be in control of your journey,” Sarah says. “And it can tell you a lot about what’s going on with you as a human being.”
Also read: Toward smoother travel and greater sustainability
