Lesson

Use local student mechanics where possible to perform CV equipment installations to provide students with required trainee experience and to contain costs

Success Stories from the USDOT’s Connected Vehicle Pilot Program

11/01/2017
Tampa,Florida,United States

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Lesson Learned

Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) will implement multiple connected vehicle applications in the Tampa Central Business District (CBD) to improve safety, mobility, and environmental impact of vehicle traffic. The project involves installing Onboard Units (OBUs) consisting of radios and computers in over 1600 vehicles (including private cars, buses, and streetcars) and Roadside Units (RSUs) in over 40 fixed locations at downtown intersections to enable ultra-fast vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication.

Installing OBUs in over 1600 privately and publicly-owned vehicles is a big job, requiring automotive expertise and experience with many different makes and models of vehicles. Installation includes placing the OBU itself in the vehicle’s trunk, replacing the rear-view mirror with a mirror that has the additional ability to display warnings, attaching two radio antennas and a Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna on the vehicle roof, connecting all these components with each other and with the car’s speaker for audible warnings., and test-driving the vehicle to check the installed components. The installations should be done in a professional setting with certified vehicle mechanics to prevent unintentional modifications or damage to participants’ vehicles.

The THEA Planning Director and CV Pilot Program Manager initiated discussion with nearby Hillsborough Community College (HCC) about the possibility of using their Master Mechanic Program facility and staff to install the OBUs. The resulting program will use staff Instructors and paid intern students trained and coordinated with THEA’s OBU vendor to perform installations in multiple, professional auto bays. It is a win/win situation, with benefits to the CV program, the Tampa Bay community and the THEA CV Pilot:
  • Master Mechanic students must complete a 6-month paid internship to graduate from the associate degree program – this meets their requirement.
  • These graduates will be joining dealerships where future connected and automated vehicles will be serviced, bringing their CV awareness and new skill sets to the Tampa Bay workforce.
  • Master Mechanic input to installation process reduces risk to Pilot.
  • Use of paid student interns reduces labor cost.

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Source

Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program: Success Stories

Author: Glassco, Rick; James O'Hara; Barbara Staples; Kathy Thompson; and Peiwei Wang

Published By: USDOT Office of the Secretary for Research and Deployment

Source Date: 11/01/2017

URL: https://www.its.dot.gov/pilots/success_lessonslearned.htm

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Kathy Thompson


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Lessons From This Source

Allow for increased coordination with the Interdepartmental Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC) early on in the DSRC licensing process to help reduce what is traditionally a very lengthy process.

Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program yields program management best practices for integrating and testing large disparate systems.

Connected vehicles should rely on more than one data feed to determine accurate location and speed

Consider installing additional vehicle detection equipment if it is determined that there is not sufficient market penetration for CV traffic signal control applications to work at their full potential

Facing a gap in standards interpretation, the Tampa and New York City Connected Vehicle Pilot Sites worked together to harmonize message structure for pedestrian safety applications.

For pedestrian safety warning applications, opt to collect pedestrian location data from LIDAR sensors instead of pedestrian mobile devices that often have insufficient accuracy.

Incentivize participation in CV deployments through benefits such as toll discounts

Include technical, operations, and legal personnel in stakeholder meetings to address the requirements of the CV deployment and ensure that participants' privacy is being maintained

Incorporate standardized over-the-air update procedures to permit efficient firmware updates for connected vehicle devices.

Obtain working prototypes of CV applications from the USDOT’s Open Source Application Data Portal (OSADP) to prevent time spent doing duplicative software development

Prevent the need for channel switching (a safety hazard) by designing CV communications to include dual radios in each vehicle

Publish all CV planning documentation to serve as an example for other early deployers to follow

The Tampa Connected Vehicle Pilot Program investigates damage to roadside units (RSUs) near lightning strikes and improves transient surge immunity by verifying nearby support structures are properly grounded.

The USDOT’s three Connected Vehicle Pilots successfully demonstrate cross-site over-the-air interoperability among six participating vendors.

Use local student mechanics where possible to perform CV equipment installations to provide students with required trainee experience and to contain costs

Use on-board connected vehicle (CV) technology and SPaT / MAP infrastructure messages to prevent wrong way entries on reversible express lanes.

When installing antennas on streetcars to support wireless connected vehicle applications, verify that radio performance is not compromised by interference from high-voltage power lines.

Lesson ID: 2018-00816