Verizon Business launches Vehicle-to-Everything connected-driving platform with multiple customers
Edge Transportation Exchange is an integrated mobile-network vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication platform that allows a vehicle to communicate with other connected vehicles, road users, and infrastructure around it. Volkswagen Group of America, The Arizona Commerce Authority, Delaware Department of Transportation, and Rutgers University CAIT are already signed on as commercial users.
What you need to know:
- Edge Transportation Exchange leverages Verizon’s 5G and LTE networks, low-latency mobile edge computing (MEC), and geolocation technology to send alerts, messages and data between connected vehicles and infrastructure in near real time.
- Acts as an ecosystem enabler, offering automakers, technology developers, and governments a foundation for the development of intelligent transportation use cases.
- Current use cases include vulnerable road user awareness, roadway and weather condition alerts, and intersection traffic-signal information to help improve traffic efficiency and enable safer road use.
- Uses a virtual architecture that reduces the need for costly physical roadside units, alleviating financial burdens for DOTs and municipal governments.
NEW YORK, NY — Verizon Business has commercially launched Edge Transportation Exchange, a mobile-network vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication platform for connected vehicles, with multiple customers already signed on. Following a successful 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) joint demonstration, the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA), Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), Rutgers University Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), and Volkswagen Group of America (VW) have begun using the platform.
The Edge Transportation Exchange solution allows vehicles to communicate and share important data with each other, pedestrians, and connected roadway infrastructure such as traffic signals, in near real time. The 5GAA joint demonstration included use cases such as informing drivers about vulnerable road users, dangerous weather and roadway conditions, and traffic signal phase and timing at intersections.
In addition to these capabilities, Edge Transportation Exchange serves as an API-driven platform for collaborative innovation between automakers, technology developers, and municipal governments, who can leverage the mobile-network V2X technology to scale existing connected solutions or innovate new technology for road-user safety and satisfaction. Development and collaboration is convenient and centralized through the Verizon ThingSpace IoT platform.
“Cars are evolving from mechanical vehicles to software-defined mobile devices with the ability to leverage incredible connected technology. Edge Transportation Exchange leverages that technology to give automakers, governments, and tech developers a robust platform for building out the cellular-connected future of transportation -- with visibility and reliability for all road users top of mind,” said Shamik Basu, Vice President, Strategic Connectivity & IoT, Verizon Business.
The robust integrated solution combines Verizon’s 5G and LTE mobile networks, Verizon 5G Edge mobile edge compute, and geolocation technology enhanced with Verizon Hyper Precise Location. It uses a virtual architecture that reduces the need for costly physical roadside radio units, alleviating financial burdens for DOTs and municipal governments. The data and communication capabilities from these combined technologies and environments contribute to a feature-rich, mobile network-based V2X ecosystem that users can leverage for near term applications and long term innovation at scale.
How Users are Deploying Edge Transportation Exchange
ACA was first to sign on as a platform partner for Edge Transportation Exchange, advancing from trial use to production. ACA is Arizona’s leading economic development organization, working collaboratively with the University of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Transportation, and the Maricopa County Department of Transportation and state and local agencies to develop new use cases and leverage existing ones -- including pedestrian detection and upcoming work zone notifications -- to make Arizona roadway users safer and better connected.
DelDOT is conducting technical testing across multiple communication technologies and architectures to optimize V2X message delivery. Primary use cases being studied include red-light warnings, water-on-road warnings, and vulnerable road user (VRU) alerts to drivers.
VW will explore use cases such as pedestrian awareness and payment applications for expedited tolling.
Rutgers University CAIT is deploying Edge Transportation Exchange at the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground, a collaborative program with Middlesex County and in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The 2.5-mile living laboratory is equipped with self-driving-grade sensing, computing, and V2X communication technologies to facilitate the testing of Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) and Smart City technologies. Rutgers CAIT is using the platform to further develop virtualized cellular messaging architectures for cost-effective support of multiple CAV applications, including intersection safety, congestion mitigation, queue warning, and incident and work zone management.
Rutgers CAIT is also researching school-zone safety applications, utilizing Edge Transportation Exchange to help deliver near real-time alerts to pedestrians and incoming vehicles at intersections with heavy school crossings, improving safety for K-12 students, their families, and crossing guards.
User Comments
“VW considers it critical to be fluent in V2X communication systems. Leveraging our connected-vehicle technology ensures we stay ahead of the curve and offer our customers the latest feature sets for their safety, as well as the safety of others near the vehicle,” said Frank Weith, Engineering Director for Connected Infotainment, VW Group of America. “Safety alerts and frictionless payments are two great examples enabled by mobile-network V2X, and VW is excited to be working with Verizon Business to innovate for the connected future of driving.” | “We see Edge Transportation Exchange as a platform with wide applicability to the auto-tech R&D process,” said Dr. Peter Jin, Associate Professor from Rutgers University and the Principal Investigator of the DataCity Smart Mobility Testing Ground, a Middlesex County-Rutgers CAIT collaborative program. “The solution puts tremendous power in our hands for innovating, testing, and refining solutions with the potential for national scale, which is a thrilling proposition. We’re excited for the opportunity to use Edge Transportation Exchange to help keep road users safe and traffic flowing optimally.” |
|---|---|
“We’re excited to continue our partnership with Verizon Business on the Edge Transportation Exchange platform to increase safety on Arizona roadways. Arizona is proud to be at the forefront of automotive technology advancements,” said Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority. | “We’re excited for the opportunity to enhance transportation safety in Delaware with the latest technology. We see Edge Transportation Exchange as a cost-effective and scalable way to deliver real-time information to drivers, pedestrians, and road users of all kinds. With this technology, we’re eager to continue working to benefit travelers throughout the state,” said Gene Donaldson, DelDOT Traffic Management Center Operations Manager. |
More on Edge Transportation Exchange
For more information about Edge Transportation Exchange, click here. Contact your Verizon Business sales representative to get started today.