ABI Research has released a cost analysis of V2X systems, concluding that implementing dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) above cellular communications should be US$13.50-US$15 less expensive per telematics control unit (TCU) than a C-V2X solution.
As vehicle manufacturers are increasingly integrating V2X in TCUs, an ABI Research study analysed the cost of adding V2X to the TCU using both technologies.
“We estimate that in the initial years of deployment, C-V2X plus LTE will carry a system cost between US$13.50-US$15 higher than DSRC plus LTE,” said James Hodgson, senior analyst for smart mobility and automotive research at ABI Research. “DSRC, being the longer established and incumbent technology, has cost advantages typically associated with deployments in the field and a more competitive ecosystem.”
ABI Research says its new cost analysis indicates that C-V2X’s complexity and challenging requirements add cost over DSRC when taking into account that V2X is a safety-critical technology.
The key architectural differences that impact cost, according to ABI Research, are LTE ruggedisation and automotive qualification, the need for high-accuracy clock source, the cellular royalty scheme and the use of wi-fi, which is bundled with DSRC for free (DSRC is part of the wi-fi standards family).
Since both DSRC and 4G cellular are available technologies with mature products on the market, ABI Research concludes that the hybrid model of DSRC plus cellular is not only simpler to design and deploy but is more affordable as well.