The first technical Concorda pre-tests were successfully conducted last February in the Netherlands. NXP, FCA-CRF and the Amsterdam Practical Trial validated the information technology, in order to perform pilots with Vehicle-to-Everything communication technology (V2X). The actual Concorda pilots will take place on public roads in the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam.

During the three-day event, the partners verified the intelligent traffic lights on the N205 of the province of Noord-Holland and the dynamic speed and dynamic lane management on highway A16, also in cooperation with project C-ITS Corridor/ InterCor.

Later this year, a ‘cooperative’ prototype vehicle with Adaptive Cruise Control and lane keeping functions, will use V2X information, combined with own sensors’ information, to be alerted of road events or slow-down situations far in advance. It could also optimize its cruise on main roads and at signalized intersections.

For instance, the driver could be able to reduce the adaptive cruise control target speed in time when the traffic light is almost red, accelerate with coming green light or adjusts its speed to pass in “green wave” conditions. In other cases, the car could receive suggestions to change lane, in case a lane that has been closed due to roadworks or an accident.

The pre-tests carried out last February were important to assess vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, so that the pilots can proceed smoothly.

Wifi-p and cellular communication technology

V2X information is received by the car via dedicated short-range communication (similar to Wi-Fi), as well as cellular communication.

 About Concorda

In the European Concorda project, the incumbent car manufacturers, major telecom providers and major suppliers work together with road authorities, governments and knowledge institutes. These parties aim to gain a common understanding of all practical organizational and technical challenges related to the complexity of connected, cooperative and autonomous vehicles and in particular to the opportunities and constraints associated with the different communication technologies that will be used for this purpose.

In total, five countries participate: Belgium, Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. In the Metropolitan Region Amsterdam (MRA), APT carries out Concorda trials with prototype cars, in collaboration with FCA-CRF and NXP. The special thing about the test environments in the MRA is that the tests take place not only on the motorway, but also on provincial roads and in the city center of ​​Amsterdam.

About the Amsterdam Practical Trial

The Amsterdam Practical Trial tests new and improved services that integrate innovative systems on roads and in cars for road users. The objective is to improve traffic flow, make traffic safer and help make cities cleaner. APT is a joint initiative of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Rijkswaterstaat (the executive arm of the Dutch Ministry), the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Province of Noord-Holland, the Amsterdam Transport Authority and NDW.