Why V2X will make the difference for Autonomous Vehicle success

By JB Kendrick, President of Kapsch TrafficCom North America

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have made remarkable strides in recent years, but something crucial is still missing from the conversation. Since joining the transportation industry almost a decade ago, I’ve seen that the discussion around AVs often overlooks a powerful force multiplier: smart infrastructure. In the real world of traffic and safety, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) connectivity – especially infrastructure-based V2X – is the stabilizing counterpart to increasingly complex vehicle autonomy strategies. And as AV deployments are being rolled out in city after city, it’s time to shine a spotlight on how roadside connectivity can improve safety and comfort for people on the road.

The Overlooked Power of Infrastructure in an AV World

AVs on their own rely solely on onboard sensors and software. They see the world through cameras, LiDAR, and radar – an impressive “sense,” but one with limits: A camera cannot look around a corner, radar cannot see the traffic jam that is building a mile down the road, and LiDAR can’t sense the vulnerable road user behind the next truck. Connected infrastructure can help AVs transcend these limitations, dramatically extend the vehicle’s perception and effectiveness, acting as a force multiplier for its capabilities. Research bears this out: in simulation studies, connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) vastly outperformed autonomous cars that lacked connectivity. For example, one university study found that CAVs could increase traffic throughput at signalized intersections by up to 80%, whereas unconnected AVs slowed traffic flow by 20% due to overly cautious behavior (the link to the study is at the bottom). In other words, when vehicles and infrastructure talk to each other, the whole transportation system runs more smoothly and efficiently than if vehicles try to go it alone – making traffic safer for everybody.

From my perspective working with both public agencies and tech developers, this makes perfect sense. Connectivity allows vehicles to cooperate with the environment rather than operate in isolation. An autonomous car that “knows” what’s around the next bend or what the traffic light will do can drive more decisively and more safely, and can pass on that information to other cars as well. Even the most advanced self-driving algorithms struggle with uncertainty. A connected environment can fill in those knowledge gaps with real-time data from the roadside, other vehicles, even agency ATMS data. This means not only real-time data for one car or truck, but a force multiplier to pass that information on to following vehicles and drivers.

A Pragmatic Path to Near-Term Safety Improvements

Perhaps the most compelling argument for V2X is that it offers a pragmatic path to safer roads now – well before full vehicle autonomy is ubiquitous. We have mature V2X technologies ready to deploy today that can dramatically improve safety for all vehicles, human-driven or autonomous.

Consider these pragmatic benefits of focusing on connected infrastructure in the near term:

Instant impact with existing vehicles: Unlike fully autonomous driving, which requires high-tech vehicles, V2X safety systems can be utilized by today’s drivers and cars. A road can start broadcasting hazard alerts and signal phases to any equipped vehicle (or even smartphone apps for drivers, so you don’t even need to buy an expensive new car, but use the equipment you already have) and start preventing accidents today. The beauty is that infrastructure doesn’t care whether the vehicle is human-driven, a sedan on Autopilot, a large semi-truck, or a prototype AV – the safety message still gets through.

Laying the groundwork for an autonomous future: Every roadside unit and smart traffic signal we install today is an investment in the autonomous future. When more self-driving cars do hit the streets, they’ll step into an environment that’s communication-rich and far more manageable than the Wild West roads we have now. This is a pragmatic phased approach: improve what we can today, while creating an ecosystem that makes full autonomy easier (and safer) tomorrow.

Cost-effective safety gains: Finally, there’s a practical reality in play – augmenting infrastructure can be more cost-effective, at scale, than expecting every vehicle to single-handedly handle all driving complexities. By shifting some intelligence to the connected environment, we share the load and improve the situation for everybody. The result is a more balanced and economical path to safety. Instead of an AV needing ultra-expensive LiDAR to see around corners, a roadside sensor can do it for the benefit of all vehicles (and cyclist, pedestrians, etc) that approach that corner. This approach can accelerate deployment because it lowers the cost barrier to entry for safety gains – a win for municipalities and the public.

Conclusion: Building Bridges Between Cars and Roads

In the journey toward autonomous driving, infrastructure-based V2X is the missing link that will connect lofty AV ambitions with ground-level reality. As an industry, we’ve learned that vehicles cannot be expected to do everything on their own; the road network must actively participate. From my vantage point as someone passionate about safer transportation driven by technology, I’m convinced that a cooperative approach is the way forward. We have seen enough evidence in pilot programs, research studies, and real-world deployments to know that connected infrastructure makes a measurable difference. It’s the pragmatic path to saving lives and improving mobility today, while we continue to refine driverless technologies for tomorrow.

Research article about improved efficiency of CAVs: Effects of Connectivity and Automation on Saturation Headway and Capacity at Signalized Intersections