Visteon Corporation is removing some of the guesswork when it comes to which way the market will go in the V2X space, offering what it believes is the industry’s first V2X module that works with either Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) or cellular networks.
Currently, the V2X space is divided between automakers choosing to support DSRC—like Toyota and GM—and those that prefer Cellular V2X solutions, like Ford and BMW. Qualcomm also has been one of the leading proponents of C-V2X.
But Visteon is using CES 2019 to showcase a dual-band software-defined V2X module that has the capabilities of both DSRC and cellular, so its customers will be capable of going either way depending on regional or OEM preferences, said Visteon’s Director of Advanced Technology Development Upton Bowden.
“We fully expect that there will be probably some regions will go cellular, some regions may go DSRC,” he told FierceWirelessTech. “Suffice it to say our solution, our module would be a single module solution to support global applications regardless of which direction the industry goes.”
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While there has been talk of mandating DSRC in the U.S., that hasn’t happened, and FCC Commissioners Jessica Rosenworcel and Michael O’Rielly, citing technological and other changes over the past two decades, have been outspoken about their desires to rethink the 5.9 GHz band, where the U.S. set aside 75 megahertz of spectrum for DSRC in 1999.
“We view it as the solution that really opens the door because it gives you the option to kind of roll it out and market the features to customers sooner rather than waiting on a decision,” Bowden said. If the market goes one way or the other, the customer won’t be left high and dry with an obsolete product.
Visteon is focused on the in-car “cockpit” as opposed to public infrastructure. The company was spun off of Ford Motor Company in 2000 and recently debuted its cockpit domain controller, SmartCore, with Mercedes-Benz. SmartCore powers the vehicle’s instrument cluster and infotainment displays through a seamless human-machine interface, allowing drivers to personalize their experience with a swipe of the touchscreen, the touch pad or remote controls on the steering wheel.
This week will mark Visteon’s 20th year as an exhibitor at CES; the company said it ranks among the longest-running show participants in the automotive industry.