Seeing as you enjoyed our last post so much, here is another entry based on the same report by the CTIA, the cellular industry association in the US, and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, its equivalent for the automotive industry, about how 5G connectivity is changing the automotive sector. Because RCR Wireless (Enterprise) is most interested in Industry 4.0, we have started with a couple of examples of smart manufacturing – about the role of 5G, at the network edge (network / MEC 5G) and the enterprise edge (private 5G), on the shop floor, in production of cars and trucks, and so on.
Curiously, for such a well-backed report, the examples of 5G deployments in automotive factories appear limited; all but one of the use cases suggested in the document – which total 13, spread (unevenly) across four categories: safety, production, info-tainment, and emissions – are focused on the US, where CTIA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation are both focused. The sole exception is Mercedes’ Factory 5G site, in Germany, where Telefónica and Ericsson have built a private 5G network (and which is included in our coverage below). Strange; just because it is a geographic outlier, and there are plenty of CBRS initiatives in the US auto market.
But consistency is not the thing, here; the report includes five examples of road safety, mostly about pilot initiatives around intelligent transport systems, which use multi-access edge compute (MEC) technology in US carriers’ network infrastructure to orchestrate various camera, radar, and other IoT sensor inputs to issue drivers with alerts about potential obstacles and collisions. We have included the Honda / Verizon project at the University of Michigan’s Mcity test track, but we could easily have selected Bosch and T-Mobile at Peachtree Corners, in Georgia, or others. It is similar with the info-tainment examples, which are numerous, and tend to mention 5G-based vehicle-to-everything (v2X) technologies, but are mostly just glorified versions of familiar in-car connectivity services.
As well, CTIA and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation only offer up one example of how 5G is helping the automotive industry reduce emissions – T-Mobile’s work with Halo.Car and Beep in Las Vegas and Atlanta, respectively, covered below – which is again based on a more futuristic smart-city concept about ridesharing in autonomous electric shuttles. In the end, the best examples of 5G in the automotive industry are all about manufacturing – where the transformation is genuinely transformative, if you catch our drift, and not just an evolutionary path from old cellular M2M, or limited research testbeds and innovation services reaching for something more profound and deeply complex with interconnected traffic systems.
Note, the examples put focus on the operator partner in each project, rather than the vendor, integrator, or solution provider – as per the CTIA remit. The full report is available here; all the descriptions below are lifted directly from the report.
1 | Ford and AT&T – 5G for industrial IoT
“Ford’s historic Rouge industrial complex in Dearborn, Michigan, is building vehicles… including the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck… The facility uses the latest in advanced manufacturing technologies… 5G MEC (from AT&T) moves data processing from a centralised cloud to the network’s edge – a game-changer on an expansive factory floor… Production line workers [can] scan trucks, send information, and check equipment or materials in real time today, and implement time-saving automation tools for greater efficiency tomorrow… Fast connectivity and… support for high-volume IoT is vital… [It] means faster [responses] to any issues [with] hundreds of devices and machines.”
2 | Mercedes and Telefónica – 5G for Industry 4.0
“Testing is a critical part of the vehicle manufacturing process… It is a massively data-intense undertaking, and security concerns add to the challenge. Mercedes’ Factory 56 [in Sindelfingen, Germany]… worked with Telefónica and Ericsson to build a private 5G network… The factory now benefits from… [lower network latency and higher network capacity]. Mercedes… [was] the first to incorporate 5G into running auto production… [and] has been reaping the benefits ever since. On the assembly line, the private 5G network enables more precise product tracking and more efficient processes… [It supports] driverless transport systems, automated picking systems, predictive maintenance, and more. And 5G [security features make] the Mercedes floor and trade secrets safe and secure.”
3 | Honda and Verizon – 5G for road safety
“At the University of Michigan’s 32-acre Mcity [site]… vehicles [use 5G and MEC to] take advantage of advanced IoT solutions without needing complex computing capabilities on board. This simplifies manufacturing… [and] drivers benefit from state-of-the-art… safety tools and warning systems. Here’s one example: a driver approaches an intersection and doesn’t see a pedestrian about to cross the street; data [with] the pedestrian’s exact location travels at lightning speed from a smart camera to the car… [and] the driver stops just in time. In another scenario, a driver’s music drowns out an ambulance [siren] from behind, and a MEC warning device… automatically mutes the [stereo].”
4 | GM and AT&T – 5G for info-tainment
“024-model Chevrolets, Buicks, Cadillacs, and GMCs [come with] 5G built-in… 5G enhances the driving experience in many ways. Faster speeds… support the increasing volumes of data used by navigation systems and connected services… [It] is able to relay safety information… before a human can even process it… Encryption safeguards data as it travels over 5G… [This] partnership reflects years of strategy, investment, and planning. Starting [in 2019], GM equipped its vehicles with AT&T’s 4G/LTE connectivity, offering enhanced vehicle performance and improved navigation, plus streaming video and other multimedia. With 5G in its 2024 vehicles, GM is taking these capabilities further, laying the groundwork for autonomous transport and other milestones in connected vehicle innovation.”
5 | Halo.Car / Beep and T-Mobile – 5G for sustainability
“In Las Vegas, Halo.Car is piloting a fleet of autonomous EVs to… connect travellers to vehicles on-demand, navigate [them] on the most efficient routes, and reduce idling, circling, and congestion… T-Mobile’s [5G] network means high speeds, low lag time, and support [for] data collection and processing from multiple sources… Visitors to CES 2024 got to experience this mix of safety and sustainability. A fleet of remotely controlled Halo EVs joined taxis as a way to get around… In suburban Atlanta, all-electric autonomous shuttles by Beep transport residents to popular restaurants, retail shops, and hotels… 5G… supports the V2X technology that makes it possible. Beep’s shuttles lower carbon emissions and traffic congestion. A single shuttle route can eliminate up to eight private car trips.”
