V2X: Secure data exchange in the road traffic of the future

KOLN,Germany,Dec. 1,2020 -- TÜV Rheinland is working on testing and security standards for digitalized road traffic. It is now the only testing company represented in a working group of the cross-industry 5G Automotive Association (5GAA),which develops testing and security standards for those devices that will communicate with each other in the traffic of the future. The keyword for this is "V2X" communication. "V2X" stands for "Vehicle to Everything". "In the future,vehicles will communicate with each other and with other road users as well as appropriately equipped digital infrastructure," explains Bircan Taslica,Head of Technical Process Optimization & IoT Wireless and 5G at TÜV Rheinland.

V2X: Secure data exchange in the road traffic of the future

More security through data exchange

Among other things,the V2X principle is intended to ensure greater traffic safety. For example,in the traffic of the future a vehicle could automatically detect when a cyclist is approaching from behind on a street corner or when in the "blind spot" of a truck. A warning signal could sound in a vehicle if it exceeded the prescribed speed in a 30 km/h zone. "It would even be conceivable to reduce the vehicle's speed automatically- though this is not one of the scenarios we are currently investigating in the working group," says Taslica. The prerequisite for making the examples work as described: Bicycles and traffic signs can be equipped with RF chips that exchange data with a vehicle via a secure connection,or the camera system as a combination of sensor fusion at vehicle can focus mainly on weaker road users and automatically brake in time.

Development of inspection specifications

The working group of the 5GAA association is clarifying what this secure data exchange will look like,and what the devices- from driving assistants and infotainment systems to have to bring with them as well the connection outside to the V2I,especially road side and vulnerable units.Those security test specifications are also being developed accordingly. These specifications are thus crucially important for all manufacturers that develop devices or software for the road traffic communication of the future. "In our laboratories,we are looking into the question of what safety and security tests must look like for all devices that will exchange data with each other on our roads in the future," explains Taslica. The working group's recommendations are expected to be passed on to the standardization committees in China,Europe,and the USA in the summer of 2021,where they will be evaluated and then incorporated into the corresponding standards.

5GAA-- cross-industry association

The 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) is a worldwide,cross-sector association. Its members include not only automotive manufacturers and suppliers,but also technology companies,companies from the telecommunications industry,and service providers such as TÜV Rheinland and government agencies. The aim is to work together on solutions for the future of mobility and logistics services