After successful testing of the self-driving, 5G-connected vehicles in 2020, the project 5G Ride will be able to take the next step in 2021.
The continuing investment in 5G Ride is a part of a strategic initiative by Drive Sweden. With new funding granted by Vinnova, 5G Ride will be able to continue the development of the concept that was presented to the public in the autumn of 2020. This continuation of the project will take aim at developing the Connected Control Tower concept, using 5G connection to manage self-driving vehicles on public roads and ensuring safety and stability for solutions like this to be implemented in regular traffic.
The control tower, 5G and self-driving technology combined with electrification will play an important role in a sustainable transport system that can help achieve the Paris Agreement climate goals.
– A robust and secure digital infrastructure based on 5G, which connects the control tower with fleets of vehicles, is critical to realize a sustainable electric transport system based on self-driving technology. While bandwidth and latency are important for features like live video streams, the enhanced layer of security and network consistency that comes with 5G is critical for the resilience of the entire system, says Magnus Leonhardt, Head of Innovation at Telia Sweden.
Using 5G-connected vehicles will ensure that the transport solutions of the future will be efficient and safe. The next step in the development of the Connected Control Tower will look at how to increase efficiency in the transport system. One part of this is using more data, for example about the route, the vehicle or the connection strength. This will make it possible to prevent any problems, plan routes and schedules better and act more swiftly should problems arise.
– Transforming industries with 5G towards sustainability and efficiency is a critical aim for Ericsson. There is an emerging understanding that driverless electric vehicle fleets need supervision and assistance from a fleet management control tower. By running trials of these use cases with our partners, we demonstrate the role and capabilities of 5G. We also identify how 5G technology and the eco system need to evolve further, to be able to lead the technical evolution and serve our customers and the transportation industry in the future, says Håkan Olofsson, Head of New Concepts at Business Area Networks, Ericsson.
5G Ride is a collaboration led by Urban ICT Arena – a part of Kista Science City AB – together with its partners Ericsson, Intel, Keolis, T-Engineering and Telia. As the project moves forward in 2021, there will be collaborations with KTH the Royal Institute of Technology, the City of Stockholm and the Stockholm Region.
– Urban mobility is a prioritized field of study and development for many of our partners, and especially for the public sector the focus on sustainability is very important when it comes to the transport systems of the future. We are proud to be able to help facilitate collaborations like 5G Ride and do our part in creating the smart, green mobility systems of tomorrow, says Johanna Engman, CEO of Kista Science City.
