Driving on the motorway with the car capable of communicating with the “asphalt” traveling in a completely connected environment. Science fiction? No, as demonstrated by the initiative presented by Astm Group and Volkswagen Group Italia on the direct dialogue between vehicle and infrastructure. For the first time, in fact, the interconnection between the production car and the motorway in open traffic conditions was studied on the Arluno-Rho section of the A4 Turin-Milan motorway.
Real-time bi-directional interconnection between vehicles and infrastructures
The digital transformation, which is making roads and motorways evolve towards a new intelligent and connected mobility, was at the center of the debate attended by Paolo Guglielminetti, Partner PwC Italia Global Railways & Roads Leader, Massimo Nordio, Vice President Group Government Relations and Public Affairs of Volkswagen Group for Italy, Andrea Nicolini, CEO of Sinelec and Umberto Tosoni, CEO of the Astm Group. The new intelligent mobility project on the Arluno-Rho section of the A4 Turin-Milan is based on the Emeras software platform developed by Sinelec, the technology company of the Astm Group, which guarantees integration with ITS systems (Intelligent Transportation Systems) on the road and makes real-time bi-directional interconnection possible between vehicles and infrastructures. Technologies evolve from intelligent systems to “cooperative” systems where cooperation between vehicles and infrastructure provides better quality services (for safety, comfort and congestion reduction), increasing the level of supervision of the environment surrounding the vehicle and becoming a technology enabler for a future based on autonomous driving.
How does it work
Road operators and drivers will have the opportunity to exchange information in real time to optimize journeys, thus reducing accidents, congestion and polluting emissions. Emeras collects and aggregates information relating to the current scenario and, taking into account the risk factors, immediately activates the response plan by disseminating geo-localized messages. This allows the car to communicate directly with the infrastructure and the presence of integrated Car2X technology, available on various models of the Volkswagen Group. A significant technological milestone, which allows the car to be able to communicate with the surrounding environment, without the aid of an external on-board unit. Car2X communication covers a range of 800 meters in a few milliseconds and exploits the principle of collective intelligence: this means that it will progressively improve with the number of vehicles that use it, reaching more and more to maximize safety on the roads. “Cars are increasingly devices on wheels and increasingly connected to each other, to the infrastructure and the surrounding environment. The potential benefits in terms of security, sustainability and user experience are evident, as is the crucial role of software ”said Massimo Nordio, Vice President of Group Government Relations and Public Affairs. “The transformation path of the Volkswagen Group goes precisely in this direction, with huge investments – 27 billion euros by 2025 -, the integration of specific skills – with CARIAD, the software company of the Group – and with the development of technological platforms which will lead to the birth of a unified operating system. By 2030, up to 40 million of our vehicles will operate on the Volkswagen Group’s software stack. But to speed up the creation of the connected mobility ecosystem and, in a subsequent step, of the autonomous one, a team game between all the actors involved is essential: car manufacturers, technology companies, infrastructure managers, institutions and research centers. Nordio added.
100% connected cars by 2025
PwC estimates that by 2025 100% of cars in the European Union will be connected and by 2030 around 20 million self-driving cars are expected in Europe, of which 2.8 million in Italy alone, assuming a homogeneous trend to the rest of the continent. The development of smart mobility is primarily affected by infrastructures, destined to transform to interact with vehicles in real-time, dynamically manage information from cars and traffic flows, guaranteeing safety for travelers.
Hydrogen distributors by 2030
During the event, Astm Group announced its modernization, technological innovation and ecological transition projects of the A4 Turin-Milan motorway. A first part of these interventions will be carried out by 2024 on the Milan-Novara pilot section, and then, subject to authorization by the MIMS, will be extended to the entire motorway. By 2030 it will be possible to witness, among the various initiatives, the extension of vehicle-infrastructure communication systems, the increase of the monitoring system with sensors of the works of art, the introduction of intelligent gates with a toll system ” free flow “and anti-fog systems, the use of 70% recycled asphalt for deep layers and graphene asphalt for the surface covering, systems for detecting the wrong way and for detecting dangerous goods, the introduction of hydrogen distributors and a greater presence of electric charging stations.