5G redefines the automotive industry: Is it a key technology for automotive intelligence?

In 1922, an engineer had the ingenuity to put a radio inside a car for the first time.

　　Today, 100 years later, more and more automobile companies hope to install the next-generation communication technology in their cars. This "next-generation communication technology" is none other than the currently gaining momentum of 5G.

　　5G's loyal fans believe that this new technology can not only provide faster connections and data download capabilities than 4G networks, but also handle more massive communication tasks. Self-driving cars, which are gradually maturing, will also need the "assistance" of 5G in the future.

　　This is no wonder, as this technology, which represents the most critical technology for future automotive intelligence, is also one of the hottest topics during this year's Shanghai Auto Show.

　　Leifeng.com Note: Chen Zhixin, President of SAIC Motor

　　On April 15, at the 3rd Automotive Entrepreneurs Conference held by SAIC, SAIC Group President Chen Zhixin spoke of the vision of self-driving cars 80 years ago and affirmed the high relevance of 5G to the automotive industry. "If the automotive industry is undergoing a major transformation that has not been seen in a century, then 5G will become a key factor in redefining the automotive industry."

　　Chen Zhixin introduced: In the process of promoting the "New Four Modernizations" innovation strategy and accelerating the transformation into a comprehensive provider of travel services and products, SAIC has three very important innovation and transformation levers, namely: intelligent driving, intelligent manufacturing, and smart travel.

　　SAIC has made a series of arrangements around these three "intelligences":

　　a) Plan to use 5G technology to achieve demonstration operation of intelligent heavy trucks at Yangshan Port and Donghai Bridge by the end of this year;

　　b) Plan to mass-produce and launch the world's first 5G Internet car in 2020, and actively explore the use of 5G technology to achieve autonomous driving in congested conditions on highways and urban expressways.

　　c) In response to the implementation of new technologies at this stage, SAIC will work with China Mobile, Huawei, and Shanghai International Automobile City to jointly launch the "5G Intelligent Connected Vehicle Demonstration Zone", planning to create the country's first "smart transportation" demonstration zone.

　　d) Actively promote C2B mass customization of complete vehicles and smart factory projects for parts, and use 5G technology to unify the transmission protocols, standards and media for smart manufacturing and smart factories.

　　For the automotive industry, the arrival of the 5G era may reshape the automotive industry landscape. This is why, at the third Automotive Entrepreneurs Conference held by SAIC, SAIC put "5G technology" in the spotlight for the first time.

　　5G, the fifth generation mobile phone mobile communication standard, is also called the fifth generation mobile communication technology. Unlike 2G, 3G, and 4G, 5G is not an independent, new wireless access technology, but a technical evolution of existing wireless access technologies (including 2G, 3G, 4G, and WiFi) (mainly based on 4G technology), as well as a general term for solutions after the integration of some new supplementary wireless access technologies.

　　According to statistics, self-driving cars will consume 0.75GB of data per second and approximately 4,000GB of data per day. The huge amount of data and harsh transmission environment pose great challenges to connection and transmission efficiency.

　　It can be said that without the support of 5G, autonomous driving is impossible. Compared with 4G technology, 5G has three significant advantages:

　　1. High speed. The transmission rate of 5G communication will be measured in Gb per second, which is dozens or even hundreds of times the current 4G transmission rate.

　　2. Large capacity. 5G technology supports the interconnection of millions of devices per square kilometer per unit time, truly realizing the interconnection of all things.

　　3. Low latency. The latency of 5G can be shortened to 1 millisecond, which is 1/50 of the current 4G latency and equivalent to 1/100 of the time it takes for a person to blink.

　　Zhang Wenlin, president of Huawei's strategy department, said that with 5G, cars will have stronger network connectivity capabilities - the more senses a vehicle has, the smarter it will be.

　　Therefore, 5G is an integral part of future connected and autonomous cars, and mobile technology will become a general purpose technology in the automotive industry.

　　For example, based on the current 4G network, due to the delay, the response distance of a car traveling at 120 kilometers per hour on the highway will be about 7 meters. According to the 5G standard, the delay will be reduced to 1 millisecond, and the response distance will be shortened to less than 10 centimeters, greatly improving the safety of autonomous driving.

　　As a communication infrastructure, although 5G technology is not yet mature, car companies are eager to try it out and have started to make plans in advance.

　　In foreign countries, in 2016, Audi, BMW and Daimler jointly established the 5G Automotive Association with five telecommunications companies - Ericsson, Huawei, Intel, Nokia and Qualcomm. The goal of the alliance is to develop the next generation of smart connected cars and promote the implementation of 5G communication standardization technology in cars. And the members of this alliance are constantly expanding.

　　In China, the 5G-based automatic remote driving technology jointly developed by Great Wall Motors, China Mobile and Huawei passed the test in 2018, with the vehicle response delay reaching milliseconds.

　　On January 15 this year, Changan Automobile and Huawei Technologies announced a comprehensive and in-depth strategic cooperation and the establishment of a 5G Internet of Vehicles Joint Innovation Center. The two parties will carry out in-depth cooperation in the fields of intelligence and new energy.

　　During the Mobile World Congress in February this year, Geely announced plans to release its first batch of mass-produced models supporting 5G and C-V2X in 2021.

　　On April 14, ARCFOX, a subsidiary of BAIC New Energy, released an IMC (Intelligent Module Criterion) platform equipped with 5G technology. According to Leifeng.com (official account: Leifeng.com), the computing power of this platform reaches a maximum of 352 trillion chips per second, and the delay is shortened to milliseconds, which can realize autonomous driving technology above L3 level.

　　On April 15, SAIC released the Roewe Vision-i, known as the "world's first 5G concept car". The concept car is equipped with a "5G zero-screen smart cockpit", focusing on "full-cabin interaction" and can also recognize user emotions and status and provide feedback.

　　2019 is regarded as the "first year of 5G" globally. People expect that this innovative technology will bring a new look to many traditional fields.

　　With the support of 5G technology, what other breakthroughs will there be in terms of quantity and quality in automobiles? How much room for imagination will the future automobile industry have? Li Yan, senior director of technical standards at Qualcomm, recently said in a column that the combination of 5G and emerging technologies such as AI will surely stimulate a wave of innovation in the automotive industry and enable the evolution of the entire automotive ecosystem.