● The 5GVEC project, led by the multinational DEKRA, has the collaboration of Ericsson, Tinámica, Tupl, Softcrits, Premo and Top Digital and the support of Innova IRV

● The development of the project will require an investment of more than 4.6 million euros.

The Ricardo Valle Institute of Innovation Foundation (Innova IRV) has supported the launch of 5GVEC, a project that aims to develop technological solutions based on 5G for the deployment of the connected vehicle , as well as the validation of use cases in this environment. The multinational DEKRA will lead the project and will have the collaboration of Ericsson, Tinámica, Tupl, Softcrits, Premo and Top Digital. Innova IRV, for its part, has provided technical assistance for the project, which began to be developed at the end of 2022, and will continue to run until 2025.

The 5GVEC project, which has received 2.2 million euros through the Single Sector Programme 2022, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, will entail an investment of more than 4.6 million euros. This funding has been granted by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. To this end, the project was submitted to the 5G Sectorial call, financed by the European Union Recovery Fund Next Generation EU, convened by the State Secretariat for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures.

Connected driving and 5G are becoming increasingly important in today's world. For this reason, the 5GVEC project will support the implementation and validation of these technologies to contribute to solving the challenges presented by new mobility to make it safer, more efficient and more sustainable . The project members will apply and implement methods to validate the use cases associated with connected and autonomous vehicles using 5G technology, in accordance with international reference standards for connected mobility.

Collaboration between companies

At 5GVEC, DEKRA's role will be to lead the project and develop the testing methodology and tools in accordance with 5G and connected and automated driving standards and reference organisations, in order to accelerate market access for these technologies while ensuring compliance with standards, interoperability and product quality.

Furthermore, the adaptation of the 5G radio access network configuration to the needs of the project will be the responsibility of Ericsson, which will begin research work to develop optimization algorithms for parameters related to latency and network segmentation based on artificial intelligence, in collaboration with the Department of Communications Engineering at the University of Malaga. The algorithms resulting from this research will form the basis of new tools that will guarantee the network service quality required by the connected vehicle industry in a completely autonomous way.

Tinámica , as a company specialized in AI, will develop an intelligent charging/discharging decision-making system for EVs. The objective of this is to optimize the balance between the battery's useful life and the income (savings) generated by using it as an energy source. The decision-making system is based on multiple AI models applied to prediction, optimization and reinforcement learning. The role of 5G is essential to ensure communication with bidirectional chargers, which is why Tinámica is collaborating with the University of Malaga to test 5G communication protocols with chargers.

TUPL will be responsible for providing an Artificial Intelligence platform for the integration and processing of different data sources, on which connected vehicle use cases can be created, enabling the creation of an application development ecosystem for third parties. To test the methodology, the creation of an artificial vision use case for the detection of vehicle trajectories using cameras connected to the 5G network will be demonstrated.

SOFTCRITS will be responsible for developing software to automate the execution of trajectories of an autonomous vehicle using 5G technology in the context of a test circuit for certification of technologies related to autonomous driving. The activity is based on the use of a vehicle capable of executing trajectories, which must be equipped with different sensors and communication systems to be able to react to the environment and be operated remotely.

PREMO , a world leader in the development, manufacturing and sale of electronic components, will carry out the development of an automated guided vehicle (AGV) with the integration of a robot arm for intralogistics tasks, using 5G technology. This application, in the context of an industry 4.0, will allow the optimization and automation of material flows between warehouses and production areas, complying with safety requirements and achieving a significant improvement in efficiency. For this project, it will have the collaboration of the Department of Systems Engineering and Automation of the University of Malaga.

TOPDIGITAL will be responsible for integrating the different 5GVECsubsystems, as well as third-party platforms and applications, with the aim of developing software aimed at the end user, developing service layers such as the integration of parking platforms, reservation management, payment platforms and integration with Opendata models. This software will be oriented towards the development of a user App, based on optimizing the user experience and the integration of heterogeneous service models, developing digital privacy protection policies.

About DEKRA

DEKRA has been active in the field of safety for almost 100 years. Founded in 1925 in Berlin as Deutscher Kraftfahrzeug-Überwachungs-Verein eV, DEKRA SE is one of the world's leading expert organisations today. DEKRA SE is a subsidiary of DEKRA eV and manages the Group's operational business. In 2021, DEKRA generated a total of more than 3.5 billion euros in sales and currently employs almost 48,000 people in around 60 countries on all continents. With qualified and independent expert services, DEKRA works for safety on the road, at work and at home. These services range from vehicle inspections and expert reports to claims services, industrial and building inspections, safety consulting, product and system testing and certification, as well as training courses and temporary work. The vision for the company's centenary in 2025 is for DEKRA to be the global partner for a safe and sustainable world. With a platinum rating from EcoVadis, DEKRA is now in the top one percent of ranked sustainable companies.