In connected car news are Volkswagen, VicOne, Block Harbor, Sasken Tech, Trustonic, SODA.Auto, LG and Ouster.
Hemp-Based Leather for VW
Volkswagen has entered into a cooperation with the German start-up Revoltech GmbH from Darmstadt. The aim is to research and develop sustainable materials based on industrial hemp. These could be used as a sustainable surface material in Volkswagen models from 2028. The material made from 100% bio-based hemp uses residues of the regional hemp industry. It can be produced on existing industrial plants and recycled or composted at the end of its service life in an automobile. The first presentations of the innovative material have already received a very positive response and feedback from customers.
Kai Grünitz, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Technical Development: “In our search for new materials, we are very open to new ideas from many different industries. At Technical Development, we place a strong focus on innovative, creative and sustainable solutions for holistic, resource-saving vehicle development.”
Andreas Walingen, Head of Strategy at the Volkswagen brand: “The sustainable use of resources is a key pillar in our ACCELERATE strategy and is therefore firmly anchored in our mindset and our actions. Our clear goal is to fuse customer wishes, sustainability requirements and corporate interests.” He added that the cooperation between Revoltech and Volkswagen was a good example of the benefits for start-ups and established companies to be gained from the targeted combination of their respective strengths – with the goal of getting new features ready for use in automobiles as swiftly as possible.
Lucas Fuhrmann, CEO and co-founder Revoltech GmbH:
“Our innovative surface material called LOVR™ that we are developing and testing for the automotive industry in cooperation with Volkswagen is scalable and groundbreaking for sustainability in the automotive sector.”
Together with the Revoltech GmbH start-up, the predevelopment team at the Volkswagen brand is working on a material innovation as a substitute for imitation leather. This material made from what is known as industrial hemp cultivated for the food industry is an all-natural, 100% biological single-layer surface material called LOVRTM (the letters stand for leather-free, oil-free, vegan and residue-based) that is being developed specifically with the automotive industry in mind. The hemp fibers and a fully bio-based adhesive are combined using a special technology and processed to become a surface material. This truly circular material is sourced from regional hemp fields and is fully recyclable or compostable once it has reached the end of its service life. It is produced from residues of the hemp industry that have no further use. In addition, it can be manufactured on existing industrial plants, thus enabling swift scalability – and is therefore also suitable for use in large-scale production.
Volkswagen’s Materials Technology, Design, and Components Development departments, Volkswagen Group Innovation and the Revoltech GmbH start-up are bundling their know-how to include as many perspectives as possible in the development work. Potential applications are being identified in collaboration with Components Development. Possible use in vehicle projects from 2028 is envisaged. The material has received very positive feedback in customer surveys.
VicOne & Block Harbor CTF Competition
VicOne, an automotive cybersecurity solutions leader, and Block Harbor, a trusted automotive cybersecurity engineering company, are spearheading the Automotive Capture the Flag (CTF) 2024 competition. This year’s high-stakes global CTF challenge, with more than $100,000 in prizes, is set to engage and educate cybersecurity enthusiasts of all skill levels, from newcomers with no experience to security practitioners from the automotive sector and other industries. Virtual qualifying rounds run through September 8, with in-person finals on October 21, and the Awards Ceremony taking place October 23 at the 2024 Auto-ISAC Cybersecurity Summit in Detroit, Michigan, where VicOne has established its U.S. operations.
“We are fostering strategic collaboration between the cybersecurity community and the automotive sector, and prompting vital synergies that benefit the connected vehicle industry”
The 2024 Automotive CTF allows cybersecurity researchers without a prior automotive background to learn automotive context through the online learning module and practice on previous years’ CTF challenges. All participants can expand their skills in automotive cybersecurity, despite their level of experience.
According to the 2023 Cybersecurity Workforce Study from ISc2, the nonprofit member organization for cybersecurity professionals, organizations are focusing on strategies for tackling the cybersecurity staff and skills shortages they face, as the workforce and demand for cybersecurity expertise continues to grow. ISc2 estimates the size of the global cybersecurity workforce at 5.5 million — a 9% increase from 2022, and the highest we’ve ever recorded. Conversely, the global workforce gap continues to grow even faster: The gap grew by 13% from 2022, which means that in 2023 there are roughly 4 million cybersecurity professionals needed worldwide. The profession needs to almost double to be at full capacity.
The Automotive CTF competition helps address the skills gap shortage in the automotive sector by gathering cybersecurity professionals of all levels, novices and experts alike, to upskill and broaden their expertise. Participants in this competition will not only solve challenges to “capture the flag” but also gain practical hands-on experience in real-world attack scenarios. This will also be an opportunity for them to join a growing automotive cybersecurity community focused on fortifying the future of connected cars.
“We are fostering strategic collaboration between the cybersecurity community and the automotive sector, and prompting vital synergies that benefit the connected vehicle industry,” said Max Cheng, CEO, VicOne. “This competition provides an arena for cybersecurity professionals and industry leaders to exchange ideas and develop innovative problem-solving strategies, and enables beginners to upskill their expertise and break into the exciting field of automotive cybersecurity.”
“The competition is a unique CTF experience creating a stage for exceptional players to showcase their ability alongside newcomers that can learn without the typical barriers of entry,” said Brandon Barry, CEO, Block Harbor. “Together, Block Harbor and VicOne are creating a compelling, innovative and automotive-centric competition that tackles one of the largest pain points felt in every automaker and supplier, which is training and staff shortages due to the small number of practitioners in vehicle cybersecurity.”
Block Harbor is designing, conducting, and executing the competition through its Vehicle Security Engineering Cloud (VSEC) platform. Block Harbor’s expertise ensures the CTF challenges are robust and innovative, delivering an experience relative to the skills and competencies of the automotive security domain.
As the Automotive CTF 2024 host, VicOne provides invaluable guidance, expertise and insight in the automotive cybersecurity sector, ensuring it aligns with the latest industry standards and best practices.
Visit the Automotive CTF 2024 events page for more information and to Register at: https://vicone.com/automotive-ctf.
For Automotive CTF 2024 Guidelines and Technical Rules visit: https://ctf.blockharbor.io/rules.
VicOne and Block Harbor are hosting the in-person finals of the 2024 Automotive CTF competition and Awards Ceremony on October 21 in Detroit, where VicOne recently established its U.S. operations. Known historically as “Motor City” for its automotive manufacturing leadership, today the Detroit automotive industry is still considered the global automotive headquarters with 26 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) offering 1.1 million jobs. With growth powered by electric, autonomous and software defined vehicles (SDVs), auto manufacturers are changing how they design, produce, maintain, fuel, and protect the data security of vehicles. With its new strategic location, achieving important data protection certifications that the automotive industry relies on, and its focus on comprehensive, holistic vehicle protection, VicOne is continually driving innovation in automotive cybersecurity.
The CTF Awards will take place on October 23 at the 2024 Auto-ISAC Cybersecurity Summit, in the MGM Grand, Detroit. A supporter of the 2024 CTF competition as an important educational challenge for automotive cybersecurity enthusiasts, Auto-ISAC brings together manufacturers, suppliers and other key stakeholders in the dynamic automotive ecosystem to build relationships that improve cybersecurity resilience for connected vehicles.
Sasken Tech Partners with Trustonic
Sasken Technologies, a specialist product engineering and digital transformation provider, has formed a new partnership with cybersecurity firm Trustonic to bring advanced security options to automotive OEMs.
With over 34 years’ experience in the embedded software space, Sasken has a proven track record in providing concept-to-market, chip-to-cognition R&D services to global leaders in the semiconductor, automotive, smart devices and transportation sectors.
Headquartered in the UK, Trustonic embeds world-leading, trusted cybersecurity technology into smart devices and connected vehicles, enabling OEMs to build on their robust foundations to secure revenue and power innovation.
Having obtained the world’s first comprehensive EAL5+ certification for its Trusted Execution Environment [TEE] technology, ‘Kinibi’, in May 2022, Trustonic’s secure platform is now deployed to over two billion smart devices and 20 million vehicles globally, with zero safety violations.
Rajiv C. Mody, CMD & CEO, said: “Sasken is excited to partner with Trustonic, a global leader in cybersecurity. With our deep expertise in the automotive industry, this collaboration enables us to deliver cutting-edge, secure solutions for automotive OEMs & Tier One suppliers, ensuring our clients can innovate with confidence”.
“By combining Trustonic’s proven security expertise with Sasken’s engineering prowess, we are confident of setting new standards for safety and innovation in the industry”.
In forming this new partnership, Trustonic will now work closely with Sasken engineers so that they can provide advanced security options for higher level applications and services.
Andrew Till, General Manager of Secure Platform at Trustonic, confirmed: Trustonic is committed to building a secure ecosystem of partners creating innovative solutions with the highest levels of security in place.
“We’re pleased to form this collaboration with Sasken, which will enhance the security of the company’s solutions, and support its global customer base”.
SODA.Auto Intros SODA V
SODA.Auto, a UK-based automotive tech company, launches its flagship product – SODA V, the world’s first tool that covers all needs of automotive engineers from idea to certification to create software-defined vehicles. SODA V tool took 1.5 years and $6 million to develop.
Serving as a unified platform for Software, Electronics, and Electrical Architecture, it harnesses the capabilities of Digital Twin technologies and AI, significantly reducing time spent on each routine task. For instance, test coding that previously took 3 days can now be reviewed in just 15 minutes.
“Tesla consistently operated within the SDV paradigm, innovating new approaches and tools for internal use only. SODA.Auto adopted this strategy but expanded it to serve a wider audience,” added Florian Rohde, ex-Tesla, Managing Partner at iProcess LLC, USA.
With SODA V, automakers can build new SDVs in less than 1 year, a fraction of the traditional 5-year timeline, with a $600,000 budget compared to the industry standard of $40 million. This will lead to more units on the market, lower prices for end users, and cars becoming more technologically advanced with better user experiences.
“The automotive industry is undergoing a radical transformation, driven by the need for faster innovation cycles. Companies can develop, test, and integrate new vehicle features in as little as 7 days with SODA.Auto,” said Matas Simonavicius, ex-CTO at CHARGE CARS.
SODA V, unlike all other industry players’ solutions, exclusively covers the entire vehicle development cycle, from idea and requirements to validation and certification, replacing at least 15 commonly used expensive tools and streamlining the entire process in a single interface.
In just one year, SODA.Auto aims to double its client base of automotive companies in Western markets, expecting them to develop over 150,000 software-defined vehicles. “The company anticipates fostering software-defined vehicles industry development and reaching $100 million in revenue by 2027,” stated Sergey Malygin, CEO at SODA.Auto.
“The previous status quo of creating vehicles no longer works. We need innovative tools to help automakers (and suppliers) quickly overcome the challenge of creating a product comparable to high end technology products and at the cost of Chinese cars,” stated Glenn Saint, The Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT) UK, Commercial Director at Equipmake.
SODA V is also applicable to aerospace, rail, and marine sectors, and several other areas. “SODA.Auto continues to bring their innovation and cutting-edge technologies to the forefront through the infusion of AI into Digital Twins with their latest Multi-agentic GEN AI solutions,” stated Dan Isaacs, CTO and GM at Digital Twin Consortium. This initiative showcases practical applications of these technologies, validated by Digital Twin Consortium, including NASA.
LG V2X for VW with CC
LG Electronics’ Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) solution developed for Volkswagen has received the world’s first Common Criteria (CC) certification for security stability in the V2X device category. LG’s VW Transceiver Module, which earned the certification, is a telematics component designed exclusively for Volkswagen’s internal combustion engine-specific MQB platform.
This certification reinforces the company’s leading position in the global automotive components market and highlights its advanced capabilities in vehicle cybersecurity, an area that continues to grow in importance in the connected car era. An internationally recognized standard for IT product security, CC certification indicates that a device provides comprehensive protection against unauthorized access or interference.
V2X technology allows vehicles to communicate with systems, devices and technologies in the surrounding area, including other vehicles (V2V), traffic infrastructure (V2I) and, via smartphones, pedestrians (V2P).
Without robust security, V2X devices and networks could be compromised by hackers, potentially leading to traffic congestion, accidents or data breaches. LG is proactive in addressing V2X security threats, ensuring that its advanced telematics components comply with Europe’s increasingly strict security regulations, thereby providing peace of mind to drivers and passengers.
LG is committed to meeting the highest standards for vehicle security and will continue to provide competitive auto solutions that prioritize safety and reliability. After earning CC certification for its transceiver module for Volkswagen’s MQB platform, LG plans to achieve the same for its V2X solution intended for Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform within the year. The module has also met the stringent security standards set by Spain’s National Cryptologic Centre, earning an Evaluation Assurance Level 2+ rating.
In addition to obtaining security certifications for its V2X solutions, LG is enhancing security across all areas of its automotive electronics business. The LG Vehicle Solutions Company earned the Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange certification in 2022, as well as the Cyber Security Management System certification from TÜV Rheinland.
“By earning CC certification for the security of our V2X solution for Volkswagen, we have effectively demonstrated our superior component technology and security capabilities, both of which are key elements for success in the future mobility sector,” said Eun Seok-hyun, president of LG Vehicle component Solutions Company. “LG will continue to solidify its position in the global automotive parts market, delivering innovative, secure solutions that ensure safer roads for all.”
Ouster Blue City Traffic Management Passes NEMA TS2
Ouster, Inc. (NYSE: OUST) (“Ouster” or the “Company”), a leading global provider of high-performance lidar sensors and software solutions for the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries, announced today that its Blue City traffic management solution successfully passed the requirements of NEMA TS2 as a detection system for traffic actuation.
With NEMA TS2 certification, the Ouster Blue City solution delivers reliable multi-modal traffic actuation and safety analytics within a single system. Blue City combines Ouster’s 3D lidar sensors with edge AI to capture traffic data for active traffic actuation, improving safety and efficiency while protecting the community’s privacy. Blue City’s cloud-based analytics platform provides monitoring and visualization in real time, delivering instant insights for traffic management.
“We are excited to announce that Blue City is the first NEMA TS2 certified solution with Buy America(n) certified lidar. This is a testament to the quality and reliability of Ouster’s products,” said Asad Lesani, Ouster’s VP for Smart Infrastructure Products. “Smart traffic solutions offer an immense opportunity to improve roadway efficiency, carbon emissions, and safety for all road users. Ouster’s software-attached sales have continued to grow, and the NEMA TS2 certification will only further accelerate Blue City’s adoption in cities across North America.”
Multiple cities around the world are evaluating and installing Ouster’s lidar-powered traffic management system. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded two million dollar SMART Grants to the Nashville Department of Transportation and the City of Chattanooga to make Tennessee streets safer using Blue City. Blue City is currently deployed at over 250 intersections with more underway as municipalities take steps to modernize their traffic infrastructure.
The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) TS2 is a standard for traffic control assemblies, such as traffic lights and walk signs. The standard is designed to ensure high network reliability in intelligent transportation systems.