Author: Ryan Hall

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure announced the introduction of a five-year, $494 billion proposal that would increase highway spending by 42 percent and public transportation spending by 72 percent.

The New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, is a key component of the Moving Forward Framework that House Democrats, led by House Transportation Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) released earlier in the week.

The Committee has scheduled a markup for Wednesday, June 17. The current surface transportation authorization legislation expires on September 30.

The Invest in America Act would double funding for technology deployment to increase innovation and create new programs to fund green materials research and to deploy green construction materials and practices to create smarter, more efficient transportation systems.

The legislation includes several provisions including tolling, VMT pricing pilots, and advanced mobility programs of interest to OmniAir members. A few highlights are below:

  • Sec. 1110 requires for any new tolling agreements, regional interoperability of electronic collection. The section also mainstreams funding for congestion pricing projects.
  • Sec. 1306 authorizes a new $250 million grant program to reduce traffic gridlock in large metropolitan areas.
  • Sec. 5303 establishes a National Automated Vehicle Clearinghouse at a university. Includes highly automated vehicles and mobility innovation (Mobility on Demand and as a Service).
  • Sec. 5304  directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to study how automated vehicles interact with general road users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.
  • Sec. 5401 doubles funding available for state-level pilots of “user-based alternative revenue collection mechanisms,” also known as VMT pricing.
  • Sec. 5402 creates a 5-year National Surface Transportation Funding Pilot that would test a national VMT pricing program—examining multiple in-vehicle and mobile technologies.

A full, section-by-section summary of the bill is available here.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which last year introduced its own $287 billion surface transportation bill, is holding a hearing today on the need for increased infrastructure investment as a response to the COVID-19 crisis.

 

Share this article

These days, it is easy to become overwhelmed by near-daily invitations to attend webinars and online learning opportunities.  For busy transportation professionals, time is limited.  This is why OmniAir is making an effort to incorporate guest presentations into our regularly-scheduled working group meetings.  We have lined up a series of technical experts offering deep-dive presentations that advance the state of practice for the connected vehicle community.

Here are just a few highlights of recent and upcoming presentations in OmniAir Working Groups:

Cybersecurity Working Group– On May 5, ESCRYPT’s Kevin Henry presented the results of a report on the development of the Canadian Security Credential Management System (SCMS). Earlier this week, Qualcomm’s William Whyte provided an overview of draft security standards, ISO 21177 ITS Security Services, and TR 21186-3.

V2X Application Testing Sub-Group – Today, DEKRA’s Diego Rios offered a deep dive into field testing and ITS Safety Application Validation. On June 4, Utah Department of Transportation’s Blaine Leonard will present on transit signal priority applications, as part of Utah’s operational V2X deployments.

Technical Working Group – On May 5, Neaera Consulting’s Tony English discussed lessons learned on trucking and commercial vehicles from the Wyoming CV Pilot. On June 2, HNTB’s Steve Johnson will review techniques for interference testing, and lessons learned from the Tampa CV pilot.  On June 16, TransCore’s David Bevenelli will offer a guest presentation on lessons learned on RSU deployments from the New York City CV Pilot.

Tolling & Emerging Payment Technologies – On May 27, AECOM’s Suzanne Murtha will present on developing standards for V2X-based tolling and in-vehicle payment transactions.

In addition, our next Monthly Membership Meeting (scheduled for May 27 & 28) will feature UL’s Nicholas Alexiades, presenting on UL 4600, the newly published standard for the testing of autonomous products.

Participation in Working Group activities is open to all OmniAir members.  For more information about participating in OmniAir Working Groups, or if you are interested in presenting at a future OmniAir meeting, please contact Kate Oldham, Sr. Director of Meetings & Membership.

Share this article

OmniAir Consortium®, the global leader in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) certification, announces our newest member – iSmartWays Technologies Inc. iSmartWays is a Canadian-based connected vehicle technology and solutions provider that uses powerful data analytics and solutions to transform roads, communities, and lives. iSmartWays’ vision to make transportation safer, smarter, and more enjoyable for people aligns with OmniAir’s and our members’ goals.

 

iSmartWays has large-scale manufacturing capabilities for both DSRC and C-V2X. The company most recently completed a major C-V2X demonstration pilot with SAIC Motors. They have deployed products and solutions in more than 20 cities and has already begun developing long-term partnerships with V2X ecosystem players, including Tier 1s, OEMs, road operators, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) integrators.

 

“iSmartWays’s team is committed to promoting the evolution and adoption of V2X technologies on a global scale. OmniAir’s attitude and drive towards developing a Cellular-based V2X certification program for connected vehicles made the decision to join the consortium an easy and smart move.” – Walter Espinoza, VP of Operations North America

 

“Connected vehicle technology is rapidly gaining traction among automotive manufacturers and road authorities across the globe,” said Jason Conley, Executive Director, OmniAir Consortium. “We are pleased that iSmartWays has joined OmniAir Consortium, and they are partnering with us as we explore offering certification for the China market.”

 

“iSmartWays is exactly the kind of experienced partner that OmniAir tries to attract to enhance the consortium’s expertise and global footprint, said Ryan Hall, Senior Director of Business Development, OmniAir Consortium. “Collaboratively, we hope to deepen each other’s understanding of C-V2X technology, and we look forward to strengthening existing collaborations and new opportunities in the connected vehicle space with our newest member.”

 

 

About iSmartWays

iSmartWays is a Canadian-based connected vehicle technology and solutions provider. The company has large-scale manufacturing capability for both DSRC and C-V2X needs of clients around the world. iSmartWays has currently deployed products and solutions in more than 20 cities and has already begun developing long-term partnerships with V2X ecosystem players, including Tier 1s, OEMs, road operators, and ITS integrators.  Learn more about iSmartWays at www.ismartways.com

 

About OmniAir Consortium

OmniAir Consortium is the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and Connected Vehicles. OmniAir’s membership includes public agencies, private companies, research institutions, and independent test laboratories. Learn more about OmniAir at www.omniair.org.

Share this article

OmniAir Consortium®, the leading global industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and connected vehicles, has accepted yet another advanced reservation for our Dual-Use Certification program for Roadside Units (RSU), this time from Commsignia.

OmniAir®, together with its members, is developing the world’s first comprehensive certification program for C-V2X (LTE-V2X PC5) devices.  The Dual-Use Certification program will certify both a Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) radio in a single housing. OmniAir has offered third-party testing and certification for DSRC-V2X devices since 2017, and Commsignia was the first to earn OmniAir Certification for a connected vehicle device.

Commsignia’s C-ITS Roadside Unit / ITS-RS4-M was recently awarded OmniAir Certification for its DSRC capability and this product will now undergo certification testing through the dual-use program.  OmniAir expects to offer testing and certification for C-V2X devices and Dual-use configurations in the fall of 2020.

”We are aware of the uncertainties that automakers and integrators have to face when deciding about implementing V2X technology, but we are confident about the added safety and convenience it can add to transportation. Therefore we created dual-use devices to help customers in these decisions. Another ease for our customers is the peace of mind offered by the certifications validating performance and quality – this is why we immediately went ahead with submitting our product for the program,” said Laszlo Virag, CTO of Commsignia. “We are excited to participate and look forward to obtaining the Dual-use Certification.”

OmniAir Certified® devices conform to industry standards and meet minimum interoperability, security, and performance requirements.  OmniAir’s C-V2X Certification program, once available, will provide infrastructure owner-operators and automotive OEMs with the same level of trust and assurance for other OmniAir Certified devices.

“OmniAir is excited that Commsignia is committed to delivering an OmniAir Certified Dual-Use RSU to the market,” said Jason Conley, Executive Director for OmniAir. “OmniAir’s independent, third-party testing and certification for Dual-Use RSUs will help to advance the continued deployment of potentially life-saving V2X technologies, regardless of the underlying radio technology.”

OmniAir is taking reservations for Dual-Use RSUs to address the immediate needs of infrastructure owner-operators, which are seeking to invest in Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) capabilities that can accommodate future vehicle connectivity, regardless of the underlying radio technology (DSRC or C-V2X).

Additional information about the Dual-Use RSU Certification program and requirements, as well as OmniAir’s other certification programs, is available on our website.

About OmniAir Consortium
OmniAir Consortium is the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and Connected Vehicles. OmniAir’s membership includes public agencies, private companies, research institutions, and independent test laboratories. Learn more about OmniAir at www.omniair.org.

Share this article

OmniAir Consortium®, the leading global industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and connected vehicles, has accepted its first advanced reservation for OmniAir’s Dual-Use Certification program for Roadside Units (RSU), with both Cellular V2X (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) radios.  Kapsch TrafficCom’s RIS-9260 RSU, already OmniAir certified for DSRC operation, is the first manufacturer to apply for this new dual-use certification program.

OmniAir®, together with its members, is developing the world’s first comprehensive certification program for C-V2X (LTE-V2X PC5) devices.  OmniAir has offered third-party testing and certification for DSRC-V2X devices since 2017.  Applicants for the Dual-Use Certification program can begin testing immediately on the DSRC radio and the C-V2X radio when OmniAir begins offering testing and certification for C-V2X devices, expected in the fall of 2020.

OmniAir’s advance reservation for Dual-Use RSUs is designed to address the immediate needs of infrastructure owner-operators, which are seeking to invest in Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) capabilities that can accommodate future vehicle connectivity, regardless of the underlying radio technology (DSRC or C-V2X).

“The current V2X regulatory environment necessitates technology flexibility to ensure V2X availability for critical safety and mobility services,” stated Chris Murray, president of Kapsch TrafficCom North America. “Kapsch applauds OmniAir’s C-V2X certification program enabling interoperable dual-mode V2X technology products.”

OmniAir Certified® devices conform to industry standards and meet minimum interoperability, security, and performance requirements.  OmniAir’s C-V2X Certification program, once available, will provide infrastructure owner-operators and automotive OEMs with the same level of trust and assurance for other OmniAir Certified devices.

“OmniAir is excited that Kapsch is the first vendor to commit to OmniAir Certification for their Dual-Use RSU,” said Jason Conley, Executive Director for OmniAir. “OmniAir’s independent, third-party testing and certification for Dual-Use RSUs will help to advance the continued deployment of potentially life-saving V2X technologies, regardless of the underlying radio technology.”

Additional information about the Dual-Use RSU Certification program and requirements, as well as OmniAir’s other certification programs, is available on our website.

About OmniAir Consortium
OmniAir Consortium is the leading industry association promoting interoperability and certification for ITS, tolling, and Connected Vehicles. OmniAir’s membership includes public agencies, private companies, research institutions, and independent test laboratories. Learn more about OmniAir at www.omniair.org.

Share this article