The commercial roll-out of 5G will transform roads by making driving safer and greener, according to global advisory firm ABI Research.
The research predicts that 41 million 5G connected cars will be on the roads by 2030, rising to 83 million by 2035, making up more than 75% of cellular vehicle to everything (C-V2X) equipped cars.
Leo Gergs, research analyst for 5G markets at ABI Research, said, “These numbers underline the huge momentum for cellular connectivity, and particularly 5G, in the automotive sector. As a consequence, we will see a rising number of automotive OEMs start developing C-V2X modules for their cars during 2020. We can then expect the first 5G connected cars on the roads in 2022.”
Ford has announced that all new models will be equipped with C-V2X for 2021, and other major car makers are working with firms including Huawei to test cellular technology.
The proof-of-concept projects show that through enhanced traffic efficiency, 5G can reduce fuel consumption by up to one-third.
Gergs said, “The sharing of sensor data will make overtaking much safer and will be critical to protecting vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians or cyclists). Therefore, bringing 5G-based cellular connectivity into cars will be critical in making the vision of zero road traffic deaths a reality.”
5G is predicted to contribute US$17tn to global GDP by 2035, mainly through increased road traffic safety, reducing healthcare expenditure and taking pressure off doctors and hospitals.
Gergs said, “To unlock all these benefits, public authorities and transportation infrastructure owners need to realize their responsibility to fund the installation of cellular networks and enable the widespread deployment of C-V2X to make road traffic safer and greener.”