Car-to-X marks the secure beamforming spot

Intelligent networking of cars and infrastructure promises a future of enhanced active safety and traffic efficiency, though as an open and decentralized system, car-to-X is exposed to various attacks against security and driver’s privacy.

Field operational tests (FOTs) are under way that examine car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure communication (car-to-X) applications with regard to effects on traffic safety and efficiency. With a vehicle fleet up to 400 vehicles and 100 roadside units (RSUs), a German project, sim (Safe and Intelligent Mobility), is said to be the first FOT large enough to test and validate applications, technologies, and systems for car-to-X communication in a real-life environment that exceeds the demonstrator status.

Sim includes various kinds of applications from different categories. With respect to road safety, Electronic Brake Light, Collision Avoidance on Intersections, or Weather Hazard Warning are applications that may enable drivers to avoid some of the most frequent causes of accidents. Also, traffic-management systems may react on related events more dynamically because mobility data of all vehicles are constantly monitored by RSUs.