Path Loss Models for V2V mmWave Communication: Performance Evaluation and Open Challenges

Recently, millimeter wave (mmWave) bands have been investigated as a means to enhance automated driving and address the challenging data rate and latency demands of emerging automotive applications. For the development of those systems to operate in bands above 6 GHz, there is a need to have accurate channel models able to predict the peculiarities of the vehicular propagation at these bands, especially as far as Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications are concerned. In this paper, we validate the channel model that the 3GPP has proposed for NR-V2X systems, which (i) supports deployment scenarios for urban/highway propagation, and (ii) incorporates the effects of path loss, shadowing, line of sight probability, and static/dynamic blockage attenuation. We also exemplify the impact of several automotive-specific parameters on the overall network performance considering realistic system-level simulation assumptions for typical scenarios. Finally, we highlight potential inconsistencies of the model and provide recommendations for future measurement campaigns in vehicular environments.