(30 March 2021) The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) successfully launched one of the world’s largest cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) public road tests in Hong Kong today, to study and test the technology’s application scenarios on the roads of Hong Kong, as well as the network and infrastructure required for the application. Covering a 14km route from Hong Kong Science Park to Sha Tin town centre, ASTRI’s C-V2X public road test will last about nine months.
The launch is the start of a new journey in the development of Hong Kong as a Smart City, laying an important foundation in Smart Mobility, an enhancement in road safety and efficiency, as well as the next steps towards the future development of autonomous vehicles.
ASTRI is an active participant in all aspects of the HK SAR Government’s Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0, published last December, as well as its earlier iteration in December 2017. With the support of the Innovation and Technology Commission and Transport Department, ASTRI has been taking the initiative to promote Smart Mobility through its C-V2X related projects.
ASTRI’s C-V2X system makes real-time communication possible between vehicles and pedestrians, road-side infrastructure, networks and other vehicles. Information and warnings can be generated instantly to enhance road safety and assist driving. C-V2X technology can also be applied to real-time traffic monitoring, incident management, and route planning to improve efficiency. In the longer term, C-V2X paves the way for the development of autonomous driving technology, by assisting in detecting hidden dangers and improving road safety.
Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, said: “ASTRI’s C-V2X technology fully complements Smart Mobility in the ‘Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0’ promulgated by the HKSAR Government and the different aspects in Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong to help enhance road safety and efficiency. We believe that C-V2X will create a new Smart Mobility Eco-System and new business opportunities for Hong Kong in the long term. More importantly, it will provide a safer, more convenient and efficient Smart Mobility experience for people in Hong Kong .”
Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, said: “The C-V2X public road test starting today marks an important cornerstone for the development of Smart Mobility and Hong Kong as a Smart City. Traffic jams and accidents are the Achilles’ heels of Hong Kong’s transport network. With our C-V2X technology, we believe these issues can be addressed effectively, improving the safety and efficiency of our roads while laying a strong foundation for the development of autonomous driving and C-V2X assisted autonomous driving in Hong Kong.”
Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, said: “The Transport Department has specified clearly in the Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong that C-V2X and autonomous driving are two of the important components in the development of future car technology. Apart from enhancing road safety, C-V2X can also be applied to other aspects of Smart Mobility. One of the most important aspects is to support and assist autonomous vehicles. In the future, C-V2X can be a key infrastructure that assists autonomous vehicles and solves the safe concerns raised when autonomous vehicles and manual vehicles share roads.”
The launch ceremony was attended by Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner for Transport, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, and partners who have contributed to the project.
The officiating guests were invited to take a ride in the test vehicle to personally experience the advantages that C-V2X will bring, including safer, more reliable and convenient journeys for road users.
The following examples, which were showcased on 30 March, are some of the many applications of C-V2X:
【Case 1: Pedestrian Warning】“Pedestrian Warning” can help prevent accidents when the driver’s sight is blocked by notifying the driver of pedestrians crossing the road.
【Case 2: Roundabout Warning】A vehicle can get into another vehicle’s blind spot easily on a roundabout. “Roundabout Warning” can help prevent accidents by predicting the running paths of relevant vehicles and generate an alarm if a collision is going to occur.
【Case 3: Front Collision Warning】“Front Collision Warning” can help prevent collision by alerting the rear vehicle immediately when the front vehicle reduces speed or brakes abruptly.
【Case 4: Blind Spot and Lane Change Warning】An accident may occur if the front vehicle changes lanes when the rear vehicle is in the front vehicle’s blind spot. “Blind Spot and Lane Change Warning” can help prevent accidents by notifying the front vehicle promptly.
【Case 5: Speed Alert】The driver may violate traffic rules or cause danger if he/she does not notice the speed limit on a road. “Speed Alert” can help prevent the situation by notifying the driver of the road’s speed limit.
【Case 6: Traffic Light Info】The driver may not be able to see traffic lights when there is a long queue or a large vehicle ahead. “Traffic Light Info” can show the sequence of the lights in real time to the vehicle through reliable communication provided by the C-V2X network.
【Case 7: Congestion / Traffic Control Warning】“Congestion / Traffic Control Warning” can notify the vehicle of congestion ahead, allowing the vehicle to choose another route beforehand and avoid going into the congested area.
【Case 8: Intersection Warning】“Intersection Warning” can help prevent accidents by predicting the running path of the vehicle and alert the vehicle when it is near an intersection.
【Case 9: Emergency Stop Warning】“Emergency Stop Warning” can help prevent accidents by notifying other vehicles of the situation of abnormally stopped vehicles on the road.
【Case 10: Roadworks Alert】“Roadworks Alert” can notify the vehicle when there is a roadwork area ahead.
For further information about ASTRI C-V2X, please visit www.astri.org/smart-mobility.
The C-V2X public road test launch ceremony is officiated by Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI.
(From left) Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, and Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department join the C-V2X public road test launch ceremony.
(From left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo.
(Back row from left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI.
(Front row from left) Mr Michael Lam, General Manager of QTC Traffic Technology Limited, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science Park, Ms Venessa Wong, Director of Business Development of Scania China, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, Mr Peter Lam, Managing Director of HKT Engineering, Mr Rex Wong, JP, Chief Executive Officer of Kum Shing Holdings, and Mr Andy Ng, Project Manager of Shun Hing Group, join the C-V2X public road test launch ceremony.
(From left) Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, presented the first passenger certificate to Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology and Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department.
(From left) Dr. Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo in front of the C-V2X test vehicle.
(From left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, Mr Michael Lam, General Manager of QTC Traffic Technology Limited, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science Park, Ms Venessa Wong, Director of Business Development of Scania China, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, Mr Peter Lam, Managing Director of HKT Engineering, Mr Rex Wong, JP, Chief Executive Officer of Kum Shing Holdings, and Mr Andy Ng, Project Manager of Shun Hing Group, and Dr. Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo before C-V2X public road test commence.
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