C-ITS: Europe should avoid a false start on C-ITS: Industry calls for Council to object the rushed adoption of the Delegated Act
As the Council of the European Union prepares to decide on the Delegated Regulation on Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), we call upon Member States to formally object to the current version of the Delegated Act. The proposed Regulation fails to ensure technology-neutrality, ignoring that newer technologies have emerged in recent years, offering unique capabilities to accelerate the market penetration of C-ITS and to deliver enhanced safety in a global ecosystem. Moreover, the significant concerns raised by the Council Legal Service on the lawfulness of certain provisions of the Regulation cannot be ignored.
The Delegated Regulation is a significant opportunity to ensure that driving becomes a safer and smarter experience for all road users – including cyclists and pedestrians – while fostering innovation in both the automotive and ICT sectors. Only a technology-neutral, innovation-friendly approach can deliver upon these goals by allowing unhindered market access for the most advanced global standards.
For this reason, we call upon the Council to request the Commission to revise the Delegated Regulation swiftly and make it technology neutral. European industry leaders should be able to deploy the latest available technology, Cellular-Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X). We therefore believe that Member States should formally object to the current version of the Delegated Act.
We believe that automakers should be empowered to choose the best and most future-proof technologies. An increasing number of automotive companies and world regions are already switching from older Wi-Fi-technology to C-V2X. In China, 14 OEMs have announced the roll-out of C-V2X as early as 2021.1 Other global automotive players have committed to deploy e.g. in all new U.S. vehicle models starting in 20222, while previously announced DSRC deployment (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) have been “paused”3 for an indefinite period. In Europe, the RED certification of a C-V2X technology platform is yet another example of its maturity and commercial readiness4. Considering the current global context and developments, Europe risks isolating its automotive industry due to a technology lock-in.