5G tech to help design vehicles of the future
NETWORK TO BE INSTALLED AT MOTOR INDUSTRY RESEARCH SITE
A GLOBAL research centre is using 5G technology to help the next generation of vehicles talk to each other.
Horiba Mira – the Motor Industry Research Association – is bringing in Vodafone to install the latest kit at its UK headquarters near Hinckley.
Mira site has been leading the way in helping car manufactures develop driverless and autonomous vehicles for years.
It has plans to build a £26 million track to test driverless cars at speeds of up to 155mph – which could eventually support around 1,800 jobs.
Mira is also working on cars, lorries and buses that share information with one another and with points along roads such as traffic lights and pedestrian crossings.
A spokesman said: “5G connectivity capability is a game changer to the safety, efficiency and convenience of driverless vehicles.”
Vodafone will deploy and build a 4G and 5G mobile private network at the site.
It will help improve the site’s selfdriving capabilities, which include work on cybersecurity threats, as well as the use of artificial intelligence in unmanned military vehicles.
The 5G will be used by Mira’s clients, including vehicle developers and their suppliers. Ultrafast data speeds will allow vehicles to communicate with each other and surrounding infrastructure in near-real time, allowing them to react quicker to emergency situations, travel in unison with other vehicles, and even improve air quality through better route planning.
Anne Sheehan, business director at Vodafone UK, said: “Our 5G technology makes self-driving vehicles on our roads not just a possibility, but a reality.
“This mobile private network will play a huge role in supporting Horiba Mira’s cutting-edge work.”
Chris Reeves, head of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies at Horiba Mira, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Vodafone in bringing 5G to our headquarters.
“As the self-driving industry transitions from developing standalone autonomous vehicles to delivering selfdriving vehicles that can communicate with each other and the surrounding infrastructure, having access to Vodafone’s 5G technology is a huge boost for the sector as a whole.”