Beijing Trials Vehicle-Road-Cloud Integration for Intelligent Connected Vehicles

In early 2024, China's capital city Beijing launched a pilot project on vehicle-road-cloud integration that could help the city form a more intelligent, more efficient, and safer transportation ecosystem. The project is supported by leading players in related industries, including China Mobile Beijing, Huawei, Mogo Auto, and Neolix.

The project uses cutting-edge 5G, 5G-Advanced (5G-A), and edge computing technologies to enable network slicing and differentiated network resource assurance for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) applications. This ensures high-speed, low-latency data transmission for vehicle-road and vehicle-cloud interactions. Technically speaking, V2X messages are transmitted over 5G Uu interfaces to enable collaboration between vehicles, road facilities, and a cloud platform.

Beijing's urban transportation network now features comprehensive sensing of road conditions, intelligent decision-making, and quick response. This has improved urban traffic management and enhanced the travel experiences of residents. The project has driven the adoption of intelligent connected vehicles, commercialization of autonomous driving, and concerted development within Beijing's intelligent connected vehicle industry chain.
China Mobile Beijing built the 5G and 5G-A network infrastructure for the project. So far, it has deployed over 7,000 5G-A base stations, providing universal coverage within the 6th Ring Road and in suburban areas. On August 23, 2024, the operator held a 5G-A commercial launch event, announcing the establishment of an industry alliance for developing special 5G-A solutions that will accelerate the development of V2X.

Drawing from its extensive expertise in the ICT field, Huawei provides the project with innovative products, solutions, and technologies based on 5G, 5G-A, and edge computing. It helps deploy an industry-leading "20-20" V2X network that delivers a latency of 20 ms with 99% reliability and an uplink speed of 20 Mbps.

Mogo Auto, a leading provider of full-stack autonomous driving technologies and operational services in China, has developed a real-time, high-precision, and low-latency digital twin system. The system is based on Mogo Auto's AI-powered digital road model and China Mobile Beijing's 5G/5G-A network. It provides roadside data in real time for intelligent connected vehicles and autonomous vehicles.

Neolix has developed an intelligent logistics model that streamlines last-mile delivery in cities. It uses China Mobile Beijing's 5G/5G-A network and edge computing to enable real-time HD video upload and remote emergency takeover of unmanned vehicles. Data from unmanned vehicles, such as HD videos and images, is sent to edge computing nodes over the 5G network for automatic cleaning before being transmitted to the central node for training. This significantly improves the development and iteration efficiency of autonomous driving technologies.

In Yizhuang, a national economic and technological development zone in Beijing, intelligent coverage has been expanded to cover an area of 600 square kilometers, and 33 automakers have tested approximately 900 vehicles over the intelligent network. The automakers plan to put nearly 10,000 autonomous vehicles on roads to offer eight services, including ride-hailing, delivery, and patrol. Moreover, the intelligent coverage allows for dynamic optimization of signal timing at 300 intersections in Yizhuang's core area, with up to 30,000 daily optimizations. This significantly alleviates peak-hour traffic congestion and reduces accidents.

The project marks a significant milestone in Beijing's intelligent connected vehicle field. As it progresses, the city can expect a cascade of innovations that will inject vitality into the development of autonomous driving and the construction of a smart transportation system.