Marking the biggest step toward widespread deployment of Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) technologies in the US, the auto industry announced a groundbreaking, industry-wide commitment to deploy at least 5 million V2X radios on vehicles and roadway infrastructure within the next five years.

The commitment is predicated on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) maintaining the entire 75 MHz within the 5.9 GHz Safety Spectrum for transportation safety and permitting Cellular V2X (C-V2X) technology to operate alongside Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC). This pledge represents a major turning point in realizing the Safety Spectrum’s full potential for transportation safety, and was made in an FCC filing by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators), which represents manufacturers producing nearly 99 percent of US-sold cars and light trucks.

V2X communication technologies operate in the 5.9 GHz Safety Spectrum band and allow vehicles to share real-time safety-critical information with each other and with infrastructure and other road users. These applications promise significant safety and societal benefits, including crash reductions that can save lives and provide economic, environmental, and transportation efficiencies.

“This commitment represents more than 50 times the number of devices on the road today,” said Auto Innovators President and CEO John Bozzella. “This commitment by automakers clearly shows that these lifesaving technologies are ready and can be deployed in significant numbers in the next five years.”

The commitment, which includes previous V2X deployments, shows that the auto industry is aggressively working, along with other stakeholders, to dramatically increase utilization in the 5.9 GHz band.

“Truly optimizing the Safety Spectrum and achieving widespread deployment requires certainty that the entire 5.9 GHz band will be available,” added Bozzella.

Even in the face of regulatory uncertainty about the Safety Spectrum’s future, the industry has made significant progress in developing and deploying V2X technologies in the US market. Prior to this commitment, vehicle manufacturers that have already deployed or announced V2X deployments accounted for more than 60 percent of the automotive market share in the US.

“Our commitment sends a clear message,” added Bozzella. “We’re on the cusp of widespread V2X deployment. Vehicle connectivity will play a crucial role in enhancing road safety, bolstering our global competitiveness, and providing considerable economic and societal benefits to the traveling public everywhere.”

ITS America made the following statement: "The auto industry’s commitment to deploy millions of life-saving connected vehicle technology devices in the next five years is an important step toward a future in which we don’t lose more than 37,000 people every year on U.S. roads and a vast majority of crashes are eliminated."

"The auto industry’s pledge, announced today by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, to deploy at least five million Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) devices in vehicles and infrastructure is a bold step to match the hundreds of millions of dollars that public sector agencies have invested across the country. The United States is on the brink of widespread deployment of connected vehicle communications, which has been the goal of those who prioritize safety above all else. As ITS America has said repeatedly, connected vehicle technologies are the best tool in our toolbox to save lives and protect all road users, particularly those who are most vulnerable, including pedestrians, cyclists, and first responders. To support these deployments and ensure the safety of the nation’s transportation system, it is imperative that the Federal Communications Commission preserve the entire 5.9 GHz band of safety spectrum for transportation communications."