NEWS & TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
electronics, we do not yet see any suitable areas of application
in which GaN would have an advantage. Among other things,
costs are currently an exclusion criterion. It is therefore difficult
to say when there will be automotive-qualified, robust GaN
components. In any case, the deployment of GaN in vehicles is
more a thing of the future than SiC; so the introduction should
not be expected before 2020.
eeNews Europe: In the automotive industry, there is talk of
getting away from the many ECUs distributed in the car and to
provide for several domain computers or even central computers,
which then depict these ECUs virtually as software. This
development would have a significant impact on the semiconductor
content of cars. How do you see this development at
Infineon?
Schiefer: With the increase in comfort and functionality as well
as in-vehicle communications and automation, the computing
power of the vehicle must also increase. This task could either
be done by several powerful domain controllers or additional
ECUs, of which there are already around 100 in the premium
vehicle, for example. Automated driving and IoT functions are
expected to bring further ECUs into the vehicle. However, this
additional complexity can hardly be handled. It is therefore
indeed advantageous to define two to four domains in the car
where the domain controllers take over communication and
complex computing functions. Such a domain structure can
also assume functionalities that are added to the car. Classic
ECUs will continue to be needed; they are responsible for
individual real-time tasks such as steering and braking. It is not
yet conceivable that, for example, an airbag control unit could
be implemented as a virtual ECU in software. Most of the ECUs,
of which an average of around 60 currently communicate with
each other in a medium-sized car, will continue to be implemented
as classic ECUs in the car.
eeNews Europe: So there is no hope of simplifying the electronics
architecture in the car?
Schiefer: I would put it this way: the complexity continues to
increase. The domain structure will help to manage this additional
complexity. A complete simplification seems difficult to
be achieved. With or without simplification of the electronics
architecture, however, one thing is quite clear: the car of the
future will drive CO2-free, autonomous and data-secure
Socio-economic benefits of C-V2X to hit 43 Billion Euros by 2035
5By Jean-Pierre Joosting GAA has published a report, authored by Analysys Mason
in conjunction with automotive consultancy SBD Automotive,
which weighs up the benefits of cellular vehicle to
everything (C-V2X) technology in Europe for delivery of vehicleto
everything (V2X) communication.
The report concludes that net benefits that could be accrued
in Europe are estimated to be in the range of EUR20 billion
to EUR43 billion in
2035 (with the highest
benefits coming from
increased road safety,
and traffic efficiency),
across the four scenarios
modelled.
The European
Commission is currently
undertaking a
public consultation
on deployment of
cooperative intelligent
transport systems
(C-ITS) with the aim of
developing policy on
V2X, and use of the
5.9 GHz band, in the
European Union
The most favourable
scenario of those
modelled in the study (amounting to EUR 43 billion net benefits)
is where the potential for rapid penetration and economies of
scale for C-V2X is maximised and both C-V2X and the Wi-Fi
Standard IEEE 802.11p are able to co-exist in the 5.9 GHz
spectrum band. Such benefits do not arise in a scenario where
the use of IEEE 802.11p is mandated for C-ITS services, which
would result in less than half these expected net benefits (EUR
20 billion).
The study also indicates benefits of C-V2X for the European
market lie in its deployment flexibility, with the ability to provide
coverage for both short range and wide area applications, and
certainty of future evolution to 5G, potentially facilitating earlier
deployment as well as after-market deployment (for example,
V2X services provided in vehicles via a smartphone or other
after-market device
with C-V2X connectivity).
Reduced infrastructure
deployment
costs are a further
key benefit of C-V2X,
from the potential to
re-use existing mobile
infrastructure, and
thus leveraging cellular
technology integration
and economies
of scale, rather than
building independently
operated roadside
infrastructure.
Christoph Voigt,
5GAA Chairman commented:
“C-V2X will
be fundamental to the
deployment of cooperative intelligent transport systems. The
benefits highlighted is this report indisputably demonstrate that
this technology will lead to major improvements in driving and
road safety. It further highlights that the European Commission
should take a technology neutral approach and not limit
these benefits by mandating the use of the Wi-Fi standard IEEE
802.11p”
16 News January 2018 @eeNewsEurope www.eenewseurope.com
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