The Cisco Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul for vehicle-to-trackside connectivity enables General Motors engineers to capture data from vehicle sensors in real time
General Motors is the first auto manufacturer to deploy Cisco wireless backhaul technology for real-time, high-speed performance testing of pre-production vehicles. Deployed at the General Motors (GM) Milford Proving Ground, the network architecture will modernize and automate the development process for performance testing vehicle development data, accelerating time-to-market for commercially ready vehicles.
The Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (CURWB) for vehicle-to-trackside connectivity enables GM engineers to capture data from vehicle sensors during performance testing in real time and adjust the vehicle on the track. This streamlines the testing process, reducing overall testing time.
“As GM accelerates the shift to electric vehicles, every minute counts,” said Anthony Bolton, CIO & CTO, Global Telecommunication & End Use Services, Infrastructure & Development, General Motors. “Using the network and its data to accelerate our performance testing is the type of innovation that delivers real business value as we transition from automaker to platform innovator.”
GM says that it is “on its way to an all-electric future” and has committed to the development of 30 new global electric vehicles by 2025.
According to the Cisco’s VP of engineering for IoT Michael Shannon, General Motors was struggling to find a solution that allowed for real-time visibility into vehicle test data, but eventually discovered that Cisco’s wireless backhaul technology, which delivers up to 500 Mbps with ultra-low latency, high-bandwidth wireless with seamless handoffs and private mobile connectivity, fit the bill.
“Since deploying CURWB, GM was able to achieve the visibility needed to shorten engineering cycles — ultimately helping to greatly improve time to market for technical innovations,” Shannon said.
“This connectivity allows us to perform real-time analysis and stream information directly into our Enterprise Data Center without any buffering or human intervention,” commented Stephen Jenkins, director Global Labs, Proving Grounds Operations, & Materials Engineering. “As we move toward our vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion, autonomous vehicle development is key. The ability to seamlessly transition between simulation and physical testing requires large amounts of data to move between systems quickly and efficiently. Cisco’s technology is helping to make this move a reality.”
