V2X, Ready to Build On
Hardware integration is only the starting point, not the differentiator. The cube:evk goes beyond hardware with a complete, open V2X platform designed for flexibility at every layer. The full stack is documented and configurable, including APIs, ROS 2 integration, and simulation environments, all supported by public examples and sample code to accelerate development. The platform can be adapted, extended, and customized to fit a wide range of applications and deployment needs.
For readers new to V2X: Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication enables vehicles, infrastructure, and vulnerable road users to exchange information in real time. This supports applications in road safety, traffic efficiency, and connected mobility.
Hardware
The cube:evk integrates multi-radio communication, embedded compute, connectivity, and positioning in a single device. It supports DSRC/ITS-G5, C-V2X/LTE-V2X, and network-based communication, enabling interoperability across different deployment scenarios. GNSS with dead reckoning maintains positioning during short satellite signal outages.
A quad-core processor handles low-latency processing at the edge. Interfaces span CAN, Ethernet, USB, HDMI, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LTE, connecting to vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and cloud systems.
The integrated neural processing unit (NPU) accelerates AI inference directly at the edge. AI-driven perception can be applied to tasks such as road user detection, and its results can feed into collective perception to extend the range of detected environmental information.
One Device, Many Roles
The same unit can operate as an On-Board Unit (OBU), a Roadside Unit (RSU), a connectivity gateway, or a radio-only node, and can be customized for specific V2X products. Because all components share a common platform, the hardware used in development and testing is the same as the hardware deployed in the field.
For remote execution and testing, the software stack can run on a host system, with the cube:evk operating as a remote V2X radio-only device.
Software Stack
The platform runs on cube:os, a Linux distribution based on Yocto. Two V2X software components ship by default: Vanetza, a full ETSI C-ITS protocol stack (GeoNetworking, BTP, DCC, Security), and cube:its, a containerized ROS 2 ITS framework built on Vanetza, including facilities for CAM (Cooperative Awareness Message), DENM (Decentralized Environmental Notification Message), CPM (Collective Perception Message), VAM (Vulnerable Road User Awareness Message), I/O, kinematics, path prediction, and more.
Low-level APIs such as PoTi (position and time) and direct radio control give fine-grained access across the stack, with configuration exposed throughout the system.
Both the hardware and software stack are developed in-house, with all components designed to operate within the same ecosystem. This unified approach keeps the platform coherent while enabling long-term maintenance, integration, and continuous improvement. Third-party software, custom applications, and alternative V2X stacks can run alongside the provided components.
Built on ROS 2
Because cube:its is built on ROS 2, it integrates with the wider ROS 2 ecosystem: sensor drivers for Lidar, radar, and cameras run alongside it, and ROS-based autonomous-driving stacks such as Autoware can be combined with it. V2X data is exposed as ROS 2 messages and flows through the same graph as all other nodes. Since ROS 2 supports multi-host operation, custom nodes and pipelines running alongside can be distributed across multiple hosts within a shared domain.
From Simulation to Field
Native Artery support adds software-in-the-loop testing, and SUMO + cube:hive instantiate ITS capabilities per simulated vehicle. C-ITS applications can be developed and specified in simulation and then moved directly to field tests. Further environments such as CARLA and Autoware can be integrated.
Open by Design
The cube:evk software is open, with access to every layer, from low-level radio and positioning APIs up through the application layer. The documentation is public, together with examples and sample code that provide a working starting point.
This makes the platform a building block: instead of adapting to fixed constraints, the system is shaped around the application, from research and prototyping to product-specific integration.
Applications
The cube:evk supports V2X applications across several domains.
- Safety Applications: Cooperative awareness and hazard messaging improve road safety and enable protection of vulnerable road users.
- Advanced Perception: Collective perception extends awareness, enabling vehicles and infrastructure to share detected objects in real time.
- Smart Infrastructure: Intelligent roadside systems. Traffic-light and map-based messages (SPaT/MAP) can be integrated.
- Priority and Emergency Services: Emergency vehicle warnings and approach signaling. Public transport prioritization and related traffic-management scenarios can be integrated.
- Autonomous Vehicles and Robotics: ROS-based perception and planning combined with edge AI and V2X data for cooperative, connected operation.
- Connectivity and IoT Gateway: Data from vehicles, sensors, and roadside equipment is collected at the edge and forwarded to backend systems over Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or LTE.
- Micromobility and VRU Ecosystems: Bicycles, scooters, and other VRUs integrated into the connected environment, enabling safer and more predictable urban mobility.
TUM: automated public transport ->
THI: motorcycle group riding ->
UniTrento: bike safety ->
Canyon: V2X in e-bikes ->
Summary
Put simply, the cube:evk combines the following in one platform:
- Openness: Access to every layer, backed by public documentation, examples, and sample code
- Completeness: Hardware, operating system, and V2X software developed in-house and delivered from one source
- Developer Experience: ROS 2, Python and C++, remote radio mode, and simulation with Artery and SUMO
- Cost-Effectiveness: Software stack without licensing fees, and free OTA updates keeping every component, firmware included, current over the air
The result is a platform that delivers V2X capability from the start and supports the project as it grows, from exploration through prototyping to production. Whether that makes it the right fit depends on the specific project requirements.
And if something is missing, just reach out: we're open to ideas and collaboration.