车对车通信和车对基础设施通信统称为V2X，在长期的发展过程中，设计团队考虑了多种方式，使用其他通信信号以降低成本。但V2X政府法规迟迟不出台，导致可选择的方式有所减少，而广告成为为数不多的影响成本的潜在方式之一。

美国国家公路交通安全局（NHTSA）的一项研究预测，2020年，车对车（V2V）设备和安全管理等支持通信功能的成本约为每辆车341至350美金。对此，NHTSA面临着诸多问题，其中之一是V2X带来的安全利益是否能抵消成本，而NHTSA马上要在2016年做出一项决议，即是否要求所有车辆装载V2X。

汽车制造商则可能必须将这些部件设计到车辆中，因此他们正在寻求能够应用这一技术的各种方式，以摊销成本。5.9赫兹专用短程通信（DSRC）是美国的V2X技术，其主要作用是向车辆发送信号并提出警示：另一辆车是潜在的危险。

尽管政府法规会将V2X置于与安全带和安全气囊同等的地位，但策略人士已经在探索多种方式摊销或降低成本。V2X部件曾被视为一种应用于固件无线升级、实时交通监控和其他任务的免费通信方式。但在法规未出台时，蜂窝技术已开始应用于这些领域。

“如果前方两英里处有交通堵塞预警，为什么不用蜂窝技术呢？”通用汽车全球车辆安全部门总监John Capp说，“对于更多即时安全信息来说，DSRC绝对是发展方向。

蜂窝技术已被应用基站普遍采用，同时，它也驳斥一种观点，即V2X成本即便在法规没有出台的情况下也可以降低。汽车制造商和购车人都不愿意投资这种技术，因为除非为数众多的车量可以相互通信，否则该技术不会有用。

“DSRC将实现免费，但企业将不得不对硬件进行投资，”沃尔沃（Volvo）安全电子与功能部门高级技术领导人Erik Coelingh说。“通常客户不太可能花钱购买一样得不到任何好处的东西。”

一些观察人士认为，可以给车辆发送广告来抵消部分成本。对于车对基础设施通信来说尤为如此，因为车对基础设施通信还需要路边信标。DSRC数据或许也会被发送到数据处理中心。广告也能帮助支付这些安装费用。

“很多模型依赖于某种形式的广告，”施乐公司（Xerox）技术政策与策略部门高级总监Joe Averkamp说。“你需要确保广告设计恰当，而且不会让驾驶员分心。”

DSRC具备多种频道，因此某个频道可用于发送当地的广告或者其他信息。这也将取决于频段如何分配。

“广告问题仍未解决，”福特（Ford）全球驾驶员辅助与主动安全经理Mike Shulman说。“七个DSRC频道已经进行了分配。安全信息将通过一个频道，红绿灯通信等信息可以通过另一个频道。广告信息频道还未确定。”

有些经理人认为，在监管者出台V2X法规，汽车制造商开始运输装备有V2X的车辆前，广告商将会打造一个替代型的基础设施平台。

“其他广告方式可能会出现得更早，并且成本也可能更低，”Capp说。

作者：Terry Costlow

来源：SAE《汽车工程杂志》

翻译：SAE 上海办公室

原标题：Can ads help in vehicle-to-vehicle rollout?

Can ads help in vehicle-to-vehicle rollout?

During the long development of vehicle-to-vehicle/-infrastructure communications, collectively referred to as V2X, design teams looked at many ways to cover costs by using the signals for other tasks. But the long wait for a government mandate requiring V2X has reduced the options, leaving advertising as one of the few potential ways to impact costs.

A U.S. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) study predicted that V2V equipment and supporting communications functions such as security management would cost approximately $341 to $350 per vehicle in 2020. Whether the safety benefits offset these costs is one of many questions facing the agency as it nears a decision in 2016 on whether or not to require V2X on all vehicles.

The automakers who may have to design these modules into vehicles are exploring ways to use the technology in different ways to amortize costs. The main role of 5.9-GHz dedicated short range communications (DSRC), the U.S. technology for V2X, is to send signals that will alert vehicles that another car is a potential threat.

Even though a mandate would put V2X on par with seat belts and airbags, strategists have explored ways to amortize or reduce costs. V2X modules were once viewed as a free communications link for firmware over-the-air updates, real-time traffic monitoring, and other tasks. But when no regulations were issued, cellular technology began filling these roles.

“If there’s an alert for a traffic jam two miles ahead, why not use cellular?” said John Capp, Director, Global Vehicle Safety at General Motors. “For more immediate safety messages, DSRC is definitely the way to go.”

As cellular chipped away at the applications base, it also knocked down the idea that V2X costs could be justified even without a mandate. Neither automakers nor car buyers are likely to invest in a technology that won’t be useful until a large number of vehicles can talk to each other.

“DSRC will be free, but companies will have to invest in hardware,” said Erik Coelingh, Senior Technical Leader, Safety Electronics & Functions at Volvo. “It’s always difficult for customer number one to pay for something without gaining any benefit from it.”

Some observers feel that advertising may be sent to vehicles to help offset some of the cost. That’s especially true for vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, which will require roadside beacons. DSRC data may also be sent to data-processing centers. Ads could help pay for these installations.

“Many models rely on some form of advertising,” said Joe Averkamp, Senior Director, Technology, Policy & Strategy, at Xerox. “You need to make sure it’s subtle and not distracting.”

DSRC has multiple channels, so it’s possible that one could be used to send localized ads or other information. That will depend on how bands are allocated.

“Advertising questions are still unresolved,” said Mike Shulman, Ford’s Global Driver Assistance and Active Safety Manager. “Seven DSRC channels have been allocated. Safety messages will go on one channel, things like traffic-light communications could go on another. An ad message channel has not been defined.”

Some managers feel that advertisers will build an alternative infrastructure in the years before regulators mandate V2X and automakers start shipping equipped vehicles.

“There are other ways to do advertising that can happen sooner and are possibly less costly,” Capp said.

Author: Terry Costlow

Source: SAE Automotive Engineering Magazine