22 Nov 2021 Connected mobility: Sinelec, ASTM and Volkswagen for direct vehicle-infrastructure communication
Wednesday 17 November, Volkswagen Group Italia, ASTM and Sinelec organized an event at the PwC Tower in Milan to present the joint initiative “The Mobility of Tomorrow: connected and cooperative – the importance of collaboration between car makers and road operators”.
With the aim of driving the transition towards the mobility of tomorrow, the ASTM Group, through Sinelec, which is the expression of the Group’s technological potential, joined forces with Volkswagen Group Italia for a trial that resulted in direct vehicle-infrastructure dialogue.
The initiative is unique in Italy first because the interconnection takes place in open traffic conditions. Secondly, the vehicle used has full integrated Car2X technology and is therefore natively ready to communicate with the motorway infrastructure. The A4 Turin-Milan motorway in the Rho-Arluno section, duly equipped, and the Golf communicated through EMERAS, warning the driver of roadworks on the route.
EMERAS is Sinelec’s software platform which enables the interconnection and allows to manage operations in a connected scenario. By interfacing with the traditional Traffic Control Centre, road infrastructure and field systems, EMERAS ensures integration with Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) on the road and makes possible the real-time bidirectional interconnection between vehicles and infrastructure. The platform not only encodes the messages to be sent, but also aggregates the events in real time, offering dedicated response plans to handle complex critical situations.
Immediate information exchanges between the elements of the road ecosystem will improve the services offered to the user in terms of safety and the travel experience. Optimising traffic flow will lead to a reduction in accidents, congestion and, consequently, pollutant emissions.
Smart and connected mobility – already possible today thanks to the EMERAS platform and Golf’s on-board technology – will subsequently and naturally evolve towards autonomous driving but will necessarily require the close collaboration of all players involved: car makers, technology companies, road operators, institutions and research centres. In view of the need for joint action, this synergy between Sinelec, ASTM and Volkswagen Group Italia represents an important moment of real technological implementation in the sector.
During the event, the ASTM Group also presented its vision for the motorway of the future, announcing its projects for the modernization, technological innovation and ecological transition of the A4 Turin-Milan. Starting with the pilot section to be completed by 2024, the plan, subject to approval by the Ministry, may subsequently be extended along the entire motorway.
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