Thanks to 5G technology, the Applus+ IDIADA technical centre becomes the most important facility in Europe for testing connected mobility, which is a key step towards the development and introduction of the autonomous vehicle in the market.
Partners: Applus+ IDIADA, Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Fundación i2CAT and the Departament de la Vicepresidència i de Polítiques Digitals i Territori de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Collaborators: Orange and Ericsson
Sector: Automotive
Use cases: This project aims to provide the necessary network technology to create a safe environment in which to test vehicles with 5G connectivity and bring the autonomous vehicle to the market.
Applus+ IDIADA, MWCapital Barcelona, i2CAT Foundation and the Departament de la Vicepresidència i de Polítiques Digitals i Territori de la Generalitat de Catalunya promote the availability of a private 5G network at the Applus+ IDIADA technical centre in Santa Oliva (Tarragona). This technology makes this facility the most relevant in Europe for testing and advancing connected vehicles.
Description of the technology:
The 5G private network used, as well as 2G, 3G and 4G technologies, have been awarded to Orange and Ericsson, and allow experimentation with the operation of services and applications under different network conditions, in a secure and confidential environment. Through the 5G Barcelona programme, the Applus+ IDIADA circuits will be used to promote the development of autonomous and connected mobility.
For this purpose, the Applus+ IDIADA technical centre covers an area of 370 hectares and has different tracks and laboratories that allow testing the behaviour of vehicles and components in different conditions. The tracks are currently being extended with the construction of specially designed circuits for testing autonomous and connected vehicles that recreate different driving environments, from urban scenarios to motorway driving.
Main solution or advance offered by the technology:
One of the main added values of the project over other test environments is to have all radio technologies in one place, in a controlled environment and with the option of advanced and replicable network customisation.
This makes it possible to generate a larger number of scenarios and use cases for new developments in autonomous and connected cars. It also enables early identification and therefore immediate correction and testing of solutions for problems that may arise in mobile communications in real driving conditions (on-board services, vehicle monitoring and maintenance, remote functions, accident prevention, range reliability, etc.).
These new capabilities will provide the automotive industry with a real and fully secure environment to test the connectivity services of next-generation vehicles that will be launched on the market in the coming years. All this, with the possibility to implement a wide variety of tests: from basic connectivity, performance, telematics or infotainment tests of today to tests of future autonomous cars.
Status: In progress
