Arizona Tribune - V2X Tolling Technology Moves from Pilot to Production: Kapsch Experts Discuss Future of Connected Infrastructure

However, during a recent industry roundtable featuring experts from Kapsch TrafficCom, Audi, North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA), and Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA), the consensus was clear: the technology has reached a genuine inflection point and is ready to scale.

With Kapsch and NCTA launching the world's first production-level V2X toll collection system, industry leaders gathered to educate agency directors and operators on what this shift means for the future of revenue collection and road safety.

The Car as the Transponder

At the core of the discussion was the shift in how agencies interact with vehicles.

"It's really just the new form factor," explained JB Kendrick, President of Kapsch TrafficCom North America, during the panel. "Today we have a sticker tag, a hard case tag, or a license plate tag. Now, we have the ability for the car to be the tag."

V2X creates a communication "bubble" around a toll point. As a connected vehicle enters this zone, it securely communicates directly with Roadside Units (RSUs) or via cellular networks to process the transaction. Unlike traditional RFID, which is purely for identification, V2X allows for bi-directional communication, providing value back to the driver. All data exchanged is encrypted and designed to protect user privacy, ensuring private information remains private.

Converging Safety and Revenue

A distinct advantage of V2X highlighted during the session is the utilization of the 5.9 GHz spectrum, which the FCC has designated for transportation safety.

With interoperability, this means existing CV deployments can be leveraged for V2X tolling, and vice versa, noted Lauri Brady, VP of Connected Vehicles and Emerging Technologies at Kapsch TrafficCom.

"We have to make sure we're following the standards, so that all the different technologies are interoperable just like they are in the toll world today," said Brady. "If you have onboard units today, you're already getting those safety benefits. Now we're going to be tacking tolling onto those - rolling all these together to help with the adoption."

Because the bandwidth is shared with safety applications, the panel noted that a V2X tolling event becomes more than a financial transaction. Agencies can simultaneously push critical safety alerts to the driver, including queue warnings, weather alerts, and signal phase and timing (for example, countdown to green/red lights).

"It's really a marriage of driver safety and agency revenue combined," Kendrick added.

Reducing Roadside Infrastructure

For operations directors, the roundtable highlighted that V2X promises a significant reduction in roadside maintenance and capital expenditures. While current tolling often requires massive gantries and in-ground loops, V2X enables a shift to "light" infrastructure.

Manish Chourey, CTO at NCTA, noted during the discussion that they are testing deployments where RSUs are mounted on simple side poles rather than overhead trusses. "This solution essentially allows us to go off-pavement," Chourey explained. "We don't need sensors on the pavement... that's a big problem for [highway departments] when shoveling snow (along with other maintenance activities)."

Balancing Innovation with Operational Reality

While the potential of V2X is clear, tolling agencies often find themselves in a tough spot, striving to balance innovation with organizational priorities and realities, shared Tracie Brown, Director of Operations at the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority (CTRMA). CTRMA previously collaborated with Kapsch TrafficCom on a V2X tolling pilot project in 2020.

"The biggest challenge for us is knowing when to pull the trigger," Brown explained. "We have very limited resources, so [we are] trying to make sure that we do what our core function is... and balance that with all of the other strategic objectives."

Agency deployments must be "thoughtful and strategic," she noted, emphasizing the importance of "staying ready" by monitoring the external landscape.

"That's the key for us," said Brown. "Knowing exactly when we are going to have enough cars on the road to justify the deployment of this new technology".

The OEM Perspective

The panel also addressed the automotive manufacturer's role in this ecosystem. Brad Stertz, Director of Audi Government Affairs, described a future where the car handles payments seamlessly. "You create a wallet system in which basically every transaction that you have in and around your car can be handled," he said.

While OEMs emphasized they do not wish to be tax collectors, they are eager to facilitate the "frictionless" experience drivers demand, relying on uniform data standards (like SAE J3217) to ensure national interoperability, he added.

Dive Deeper

The roundtable experts agreed the industry is entering a hybrid transition period where traditional RFID will coexist with V2X. To help agencies prepare for this shift, watch the recording from Kapsch to delve into critical operational topics, cybersecurity myths, satellite tolling models, data privacy, and more.

Link to recording

More information: Press | Kapsch TrafficCom

Kapsch TrafficCom is a globally renowned provider of transportation solutions for sustainable mobility with successful projects in more than 50 countries. Innovative solutions in the areas of tolling and traffic management contribute to a healthy world without congestion.

With one-stop-shop-solutions, the company covers the entire value chain of customers, from components to design and implementation to the operation of systems.

Kapsch TrafficCom, headquartered in Vienna, has subsidiaries and branches in more than 25 countries and is listed in the Prime Market segment of the Vienna Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: KTCG). In its 2024/25 financial year, more than 3,000 employees generated revenues of EUR 530 million.

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SOURCE: Kapsch TrafficCom AG

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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