Cisco, NXP invest in Cohda Wireless to enable connected car

SINGAPORE: Cisco and NXP Semiconductors N.V. have each made an investment in Cohda Wireless to advance intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and car-to-X communications.

Cohda Wireless is a leading specialist in wireless communication for automotive safety applications. The announcement brings together the expertise of the three organizations to make the Internet of Everything a reality for the automotive industry, creating a safer and more enjoyable driving experience while improving the traffic flow.

Car-to-Car (C2C) and Car-to-Infrastructure (C2I) communications enable active safety systems that can affect 81 percent of all crash scenarios, as a result helping to reduce fatalities and injuries on the roads.  In addition to improving safety, car-to-infrastructure (C2I) communication holds great potential for intelligent transport system (ITS) management and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

This progress in traffic management and road safety can be realized with the help of applications that warn of hazards such as the potential of a collision ahead, alerting if a nearby vehicle is losing control, or of upcoming traffic congestion, and others – all enabled by the combined expertise and technologies of the three companies.

By allowing vehicles to reliably interact with each other when travelling at high-speeds, each vehicle can give drivers warnings about potential hazards and allow them to avoid accidents, or even automatically respond to changing driving conditions faster than typical human reaction times. Warnings about traffic blockages ahead also allow early re-routing to avoid traffic congestion.

C2C and C2I communications require highly reliable and secure data exchange between fast moving vehicles and infrastructure in a range of conditions – from rural highway to dense urban canyons. NXP and Cohda Wireless have built a market-ready, flexible wireless communication solution for onboard-units based on Cohda’s existing advanced radio and NXP’s market-proven software-defined radio technology. This makes it a key element to connect to Cisco’s vision of a ubiquitous and highly-secure Internet of Everything.

Onboard and road side units developed using technologies from the three companies have been tested to global standards in major field trials. In August 2012, the “Safety Pilot Model Deployment” trial by the US Department of Transport was initiated, and other major field trials include simTD in Germany, ScoreF in France, and ERP2 in Singapore.

The three companies will apply their collective expertise and technologies to help automotive OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers to connect vehicles with ITS infrastructure.  This will be spearheaded by producing the first automotive-qualified IEEE 802.11p products for onboard and road‑side units that are ready for C2C and C2I deployments across the globe.

Cohda’s technology enhances wireless communications to quality levels far beyond commercial off-the-shelf IEEE 802.11p transceivers, allowing cars to more effectively “see” through obstacles or around corners. NXP, as global number one supplier of car radio semiconductors and security chips, brings its software-defined radio platform and ensures industry-ready data security, cost efficiency, form factor, power consumption, and performance.

Together, Cisco, NXP, and Cohda will develop a complete market-ready solution for the automotive and ITS industry.

NXP will exclusively license the Cohda 802.11p technology together with its chipsets as a one-stop shop to automotive customers. Cohda will be NXP’s preferred partner for automotive 802.11p reference designs.

Cisco is helping the automotive and transportation systems industries deliver new functionality, enhanced safety and driver experience. By incorporating an intelligent network, OEMs, suppliers, enterprises and consumers can benefit from intelligent transportation systems, connected commercial fleets and smart connected vehicles.