Deepak Singhal, Enterprise Architect Director for DEMS Business - Capgemini

So far, cloud computing has been a buzzword for most of the emerging technology trends, across sectors. Internet of Things (IoT) and the surge in connected devices leading to smart homes, smart cities, and AI powered innovations, is all said to be driven by Cloud. The same now holds true for the Automobile Technology segment. Automobile segment has not seen much innovation in last century after Ford; but this decade would cover up all that shortfall.  From building stronger, higher capacity engines to now changing focus on creating smarter cars, EVM and even AI powered driverless cars, the segment has been now innovating in real sense, and adopting the best in the emerging technology, at a fast pace. Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) is a term used for group of technologies powering innovation that is set to transform not only the automobile segment but the very concept of smart travel!

What is V2X or Connected Vehicles?
Simply put, Vehicle-to-everything or V2X is an integrated communication system that allows a smart automobile to be connected to its environment, always. All the communication cannot go via Cloud always because of possible high latency and un-availability of internet. Advent of 5G will reduce this problem to great extent. These are also known as Connected Vehicles and typically comprise of automobiles with Interactive Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS’s) and Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) and are designed to enhance ‘situation awareness’ and to identify and avoid traffic accidents. In other words, Connected Vehicles deploy intelligent communication that can be useful to solve traffic woes, enhance road safety, and offer seamless in-transit infotainment, advanced parking assistance and roadside assistance. It is also useful for remote diagnostics, and telematics for autonomous self-driving vehicles, and global positioning systems (GPS).

Role of Cloud in the Connected Vehicle Ecosystem:
One of the key features of connected vehicles is the two way communication that translates into a lot of data, exchanged consistently over a seamless network. Connected vehicles not only share information about themselves but also capture lots of sensory information from its surroundings, especially data generated by cameras, and radars, all of which needs to be adequately aggregated, analysed, and shared in real-time to maintain a consistent V2X dynamics. If done singularly or in a disconnected method, it can reduce the efficiency of the network and render the entire technology redundant.

This can be avoided by employing Cloud connectivity, to ensure the data collected is not only effectively stored and utilised but can also be a game changer in designing future technology innovations. Using intelligent insights into the geographical, environmental and consumer usage patterns, over a long period of time, Automotive V2X communication systems connected to cloud can fuel the future innovations in automobile technology. It also helps deal with cyber-security concerns, while helping automotive manufacturers a real time information feed on varied parameters of vehicle performance, so as to assist efficient technology development.