Comparison of RF exposure levels in 5G-V2X and ITS-5.9 GHz vehicular connectivity

In the present study a comparison of radiofrequency (RF) exposure levels on a pedestrian in the nearby of the vehicle specifically generated by two different vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies, i.e., the well-validated ITS-5.9 GHz and the more innovative 5G-V2X was performed. EMF exposure was calculated using a numerical dosimetry approach. Two different kinds of vehicular connectivity antennas have been considered, i.e., two quarterwave monopoles (for ITS-5.9 GHz) and two 4x2 patch array antennas (for 5G-V2X) that were mounted on a 3D CAD model of a city car. Numerical dosimetry simulations have been performed using the software Sim4Life exploiting the FDTD method. The human model was positioned near the vehicle in different configurations and orientations. The comparison of exposure assessment generated by the two different technologies was performed by comparing the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) values over 10 g of human tissues. The results show generally higher exposure levels when the ITS-5.9 GHz technology is applied, rather than the 5G-V2X.