I. What is the Internet of Vehicles (IoV)?
In simple terms, the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) is a massive big data internet that uses cutting-edge technologies such as in-vehicle mobile internet, computer technology, and automatic control technology to establish connections between vehicles and people, vehicles and roads, vehicles and other vehicles, and vehicles and cloud platforms, thereby achieving intelligent control and management of vehicles. To put it another way, if we consider a traditional car as an independent and closed system, then a car with IoV technology is like having its "Ren and Du meridians" opened up, transforming it into an intelligent, thinking car.
II. Edge computing becomes the key to the implementation of vehicle-to-everything (V2X)
The Internet of Vehicles (IoV) mainly comprises four scenarios: Vehicle-to-Network (V2N), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), and Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P). Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2P) cooperation is a crucial step in building the IoV ecosystem, encompassing "people, vehicles, roads, and the cloud."
Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity relies on V2X. Currently, there are two main technical approaches to V2X communication: CV2X technology, which communicates via cellular networks (i.e., the networks used by mobile phones); and DSRC technology, which is an improvement on Wi-Fi. Compared to DSRC, C-V2X has a wider coverage and longer communication distance, and it has a strong technological and industrial foundation in my country. Therefore, C-V2X is the preferred choice in my country.
C-V2X technology, based on cellular networks, inherently places extremely stringent demands on network bandwidth. In practical applications of vehicle-to-everything (V2X), transmitting all vehicle-environmental information to the cloud for processing would require speeds exceeding 100 Mbit/s. Furthermore, high-speed driving demands extremely high latency, requiring a range of 1-10 milliseconds. Additionally, V2X generates massive amounts of data, placing significant demands on computing power. 5G combined with edge computing can effectively meet these requirements.
Compared to 4G, 5G offers significant advantages: lower latency (<1ms), higher throughput (>10Gbps), more connections (>1000k), higher mobility (>500km/h), and higher reliability (>99.9%). Edge computing, distinct from cloud computing, is located closer to the source of data or objects, employing an open platform integrating network, computing, storage, and application capabilities to provide services locally. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications have extremely high requirements for network latency and stability. Ensuring real-time and efficient interaction between clients and the edge, between edges, and between the edge and the cloud, and resolving interconnectivity issues in weak network environments, is crucial.
Recent experiments by globally renowned manufacturers Verizon and Nissan demonstrate that the powerful combination of C-V2X (Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything) and 5G edge computing will undoubtedly bring a completely new experience to connected vehicles and autonomous driving. The experiment showcased how data collected from onboard sensors and roadside infrastructure was processed at the edge of Verizon's network, and then sent back to the vehicle, providing near real-time emergency notifications to the driver. This experiment clearly illustrates how edge computing and C-V2X can help drivers avoid vehicle accidents.
Yu Bingyan, deputy director of the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) and Intelligent Transportation Research Department of the Standards Institute of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, said that the integration of edge computing with V2X/intelligent transportation will deploy C-V2X services on the MEC platform. By using the Uu interface or PC5 interface, it can support the collaborative interaction of "people-vehicle-road-cloud", reduce end-to-end data transmission latency, alleviate the computing and storage pressure on terminals or roadside intelligent facilities, reduce the network load caused by massive data backhaul, and provide high-quality services with local characteristics.
Wu Hequan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, believes that the combination of 5G air interface and edge computing can achieve an air interface latency of 1 millisecond, which will be extremely beneficial to promoting the rapid development of connected vehicles. Its main application scenarios include local information distribution, dynamic high-precision maps, vehicle information enhancement, and online vehicle detection when there is no road-vehicle system or vehicle system.
It's easy to see that edge computing is the weakest link in the rollout of the Internet of Vehicles.
