Qualcomm Supercharges Mercedes F1’s Communication Network
Qualcomm and the Mercedes Formula One team have decided to continue their partnership focused on developing and testing high-speed wireless communications and wireless power transfer for Formula One cars.
They plan to test connected car technologies on the track, including 802.11ac and 802.11ad WiFi, 5G New Radio (NR), cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X), and Qualcomm WiPower wireless charging. Back in 2015, they started with tests using 5GHz 802.11ac WiFi, and in 2016, they progressed to using 802.11ad WiFi in the 60GHz band to download vehicle data quickly. Race engineers were able to gather data from the cars while they were in the pit and garage.
Using the 60GHz band, they achieved real-world speeds of 1.5Gbit/s, which is 3.5 times faster than the 5GHz technology. Tests also show that combining both 5 and 60GHz bands can yield speeds close to 2Gbit/s, which is four to five times faster than previous methods. This marks a significant improvement from the old system that required a physical connection between the car and pit garage computers to offload data.
“Qualcomm Technologies has been providing wireless communications like cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth to the automotive industry for over a decade,” said Derek Aberle, president of Qualcomm. “By working with Mercedes, we’ve been able to refine and advance our technologies under intense race conditions, creating cutting-edge solutions for advanced vehicle applications.”
Qualcomm will keep looking to improve performance with 60 and 5GHz programs and new technologies that allow Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport to send data directly to their engineers without stopping in the pit, using emerging 5G wireless and C-V2X technologies.
Beyond data transfer, Qualcomm and Mercedes will also work on wireless power transfer using the WiPower interface. They aim to replace physical connectors with wireless ones, making it easier and faster to dismantle and reassemble vehicle parts during repairs.
“To win in Formula One, you need to innovate in every area, and our partnership with Qualcomm Technologies helps us do that,” said Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport. “We’re developing solutions not just for the track, but also for automotive applications in the future. It shows how Formula One’s high-tech environment can speed up the development of technologies beyond racing.”
