Thanks to connectivity between vehicles and infrastructure, self-driving cars will be extremely safe and will consume less energy, to the great benefit of the environment and society. In France, trials are moving ahead swiftly.
Talking about autonomous driving means analysing the future and, at the same time, engaging with V2X technology — that is, connectivity between vehicles and infrastructure. More than ever in the era of driverless mobility, the constant exchange of information between cars and their surroundings will be decisive. This sharing relies on the availability of public and private networks for data transmission, as well as on cars capable of "communicating" with public transport and receiving alerts linked to weather and traffic. The future is hyper-connected.
Before the first driverless vehicles can make their debut, V2X communication (vehicle-to-everything), as mentioned, will be decisive, and will be based on the exchange of data between infrastructure and cars. This sharing will take just a few milliseconds and will cover a minimum radius of at least 500 metres, aided by the pWLAN (public WLAN) connectivity standard, which will facilitate the distribution of multiple alerts, ranging from adverse weather conditions to accidents, from roadworks to breakdowns along the network. The introduction of the new communication system into vehicle ranges will be gradual, starting with information on traffic conditions, so as to promote the smooth flow of traffic and reduce pollution. For example, by exploiting green traffic-light waves or by automatically excluding heavily congested areas from route planning, thereby limiting "stop-and-go" driving, which is particularly detrimental in terms of emissions.
Among the car manufacturers most active in developing V2X connectivity is French brand Renault which, in collaboration with the Groupe Sanef, one of the world's leading motorway operators, has launched a project to test communications between autonomous vehicles and road infrastructure during passage through toll barriers and when approaching areas marked by roadworks. The aim of the partnership is to reduce accidents while simultaneously promoting the smooth flow of traffic, on the one hand allowing passengers to make use of the time freed up by autonomous driving systems, and on the other lowering consumption and thereby extending the range of electric vehicles or, in the case of hybrid cars, reducing emissions.
The car of the future, integrated with infrastructure and connected to other vehicles, is taking shape in France thanks to a number of autonomous prototypes developed by Renault. These prototypes tackle a procedure that appears simple but is dynamically complex: passing through a motorway toll barrier. The Renault/Sanef trial, launched in 2016 in Normandy along the A13 motorway, involves the vehicle receiving information from the infrastructure approximately one kilometre before the toll booth, anticipating its own position and adapting its speed according to the overhead gantry panels. The approach to the barrier, particularly challenging due to the absence of road markings, relies on virtual lines derived from a high-definition map of the area, while sensors keep the vehicle in the centre of the lane. The car is, of course, capable of detecting the presence of other vehicles and adapting its behaviour accordingly. A small but significant step towards the widespread adoption of driverless cars.
