[peus017]

With advent of technology in automobile space, a lot has changed in the past 10 years and a lot more is expected in coming years as well. Concept of connected cars around 7-10 years back was unthinkable. Software being made available to control, dictate features and unlock potential it is really a good changing world for enthusiasts.

Just came across a nice article few days back - https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/...s-architecture

Would love to hear and learn things around the same space

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by peus017

Would love to hear and learn things around the same space

It will be better if we define what is the scope of the discussion. Automotive hardware and software is a huge sea of sub topics and it might lead to generalization. However, to briefly put out what my views on this topic are, here it goes:

• Its a known fact that the electronics of a vehicle now account to more money than the mechanicals. That is going to go further upwards as cars are becoming electric and there is more usage of non metallic(perhaps cheaper) parts all over the car.
• Electronics in a car rapidly increased over the past two decades. More and more functions were added since there was a vast opportunity presented by embedded systems and these things were more or less modular in nature.
• Most of the vehicle control now is electronic in all cars, barring brakes in mass market cars. Each have their own controllers, with most having a software based control. Some basic things like the mirrors, windows etc might still be just electronic and not software driven. But that is also not the case with the more technically advanced cars in the premium segment.
• As the presence of electronics increased in the car, so did software to control the electronics. Now the capability of software is vast, much higher than a pure electronic system. Initially, we had software only to control the larger systems like the engine, transmission, safety systems etc.
• As I mentioned earlier, increasing electronic control over the car was done in a modular fashion. We had a controller for the climate control, one for the windows, one for the mirrors and so on all over the car. A flagship car of a premium manufacturer had as many as 100 individual controllers inside the car when all boxes were ticked during purchase. Now, this is insane from a cost perspective and the whole job of maintaining these many parts, tracking their individual development is a pain. In addition to this, you have to invest on an entire network architecture to link these many controllers.
• In the last few years, the trend is to consolidate these systems. Thats exactly what the article brings out. Earlier, there was a separate adaptive cruise control unit, blind spot warning controller and so on whereas most manufacturers have a single a control unit now for all these functions.
• Eventually, we will have cars with as less as four or five controllers for everything. One for the powertrain which will include engine, transmission, suspension, steering etc. Another for the interior and exterior controls including the climate control, doors, windows etc. Another one for the infotainment and cluster, while there can be a dedicated system for all the safety features including the brakes and restraint systems. This will vastly simplify the wiring, architecture and will offer a lot of options to innovate just by changing the software, just like what Tesla is doing at the moment.

Overall, a lot of changes can be expected in automotive electronics in the coming few years. It will also become a challenge to maintain these cars without good repair infrastructure. No longer can a mechanic use a continuity tester to check if a rat has bitten a wire, nor can he think of making changes to wiring and add accessories easily. We will then have to do DIY software hacks and coding changes to customize vehicles.

[aargee]

Reminds me of one of the movie that I watched recently, although it has the usual Kollywood masala, it's hard to ignore the realities. As an auto enthusiast (esp with Audi scene in the movie), IT guys will certainly agree the possibility of hacking a car.

Most possibilities from the movie cannot be ignored especially with more & more people (and all xxwoods doing their part + AI) acquiring more knowledge on these things, security will be of utmost importance than anything

Not to threaten, One hacker inside Ather servers sends me shivers, atleast that's a two-wheeler. Think about the scenario on larger scale, a car, flight or even a space shuttle!! The combined dangers of hardware & software with connected vehicles are limitless!!

For folks interested in watching a thriller...

https://youtu.be/iNVy6_9JqfA

https://youtu.be/4jqAutKaGhc

[Jeroen]

Good article, thanks for sharing. Whereas the article does mention the need for consolidation on various aspects, it does not mention standardization at all. Today’s car manufacturers can not even agree on what plug to use for the recharging cord on an EV.

Consolidation and standardization are two different thing all together. The first, in the context of this article, brings together a limited number of parties who more or less set their own defacto standard. It effectively shuts other parties out. So it is a way to dominate the market.

The consumer would be far better off, if the car and adjacent industries would drive standardization across the board. Which would ensure a level playing field for all participants. It ensures compatibility and low cost.

We would not have mobile internet (3G, 4G, 5G) without standardization. I see very little evidence on the car industry driving standardization to make all these things happen. Would love to hear from industry experts.

Jeroen

[manjunathkl]

Since the day humans started to make tools and use them, the cycle of invention, innovation, re-invention is only getting faster. The reason is the basic human quest to improve their quality of life.

Given the human nature of making life easier, it is only very logical that when it comes to machines like the automobile, we want more automation, more comfort, more intelligent cars, better safety, better technology. Now, when you progress on all these fronts, complexity increases exponentially. Is it a good or bad thing? The article is hinting that it is bad to have so much complexity. I beg to differ. Life started with a single cell organism, evolution paved the way to the most complex living beings that we are. It is only a natural path to progression.

What is the real pain point? It is not the complexity itself, it is the difficulty to manage that complexity. As long as we manage this complexity without breaking anything, we are doing great. Aren't we? Electronics everywhere is not the problem, electronics that break-down or electronics that cannot be fixed easily is the problem.

[_lewie_]

Originally Posted by aargee

Reminds me of one of the movie that I watched recently, although it has the usual Kollywood masala, it's hard to ignore the realities. As an auto enthusiast (esp with Audi scene in the movie), IT guys will certainly agree the possibility of hacking a car.

If you haven't heard about Tesla has been challenging hackers to crack its cars and giving ~$1 million as a reward to whoever is able to take control over their cars.

Last year, it offered a Model 3 to whoever manages to find a crack in its software and exploit certain vulnerabilities in the car. And a duo even managed to take control of the system.

What's better than a tesla whose ORVM's are even adjusted via the Central Infotainment Screen.

With more and more manufacturers equipping their cars with radars( for Blind spot monitors & Adaptive cruise controls), 360° cameras, etc. Which are now considered as important safety equipment in European countries. Cars are going to be in the new choice for crackers and not your bank details.

Within the next decade we'll be seeing car thieves carrying Laptops instead of screw drivers & hammers .

[aargee]

Originally Posted by _lewie_

If you haven't heard about Tesla...Within the next decade we'll be seeing car thieves carrying Laptops instead of screw drivers & hammers .

Ethical hacking is a way of tightening the security that's all, doesn't guarantee entire system is fool proof; banks accounts carry just numbers & they're not life threatening; cars are just the beginning to threaten life.

How do we know what FBI, KGB or CIA (or even RAW) are not hacked? Last year, someone from France had claimed they hacked our govt's site & stole Aadhaar details.

Imagine the same happening to the swarm of armed drones. The possibilities of catastrophe are virtually limitless. I somehow believe that at some point in time, we will all have to pay for security in form of tax or additional payment to protect ourselves. That's going to be a huge business, after healthcare & insurance.

[MMinor]

Electronics in automotive sector is more pervasive than we think. In my work in a compute hardware company we struggle from time to time to deliver orders on time because 97% of merchant silicon is used by manufacturing industries and north of 70% of that by automotive industry. Imagine for a moment, all the laptops, servers, mobile phones use only 3% of silicon chips produced worldwide, the majority goes to automotive industry. So long as our cars dont come Wireless Network Interface Card (Wireless - NIC) with read write access without dual authentication, people will still have to hardwire to hack, but I guess that is becoming pervasive too.



I am certain IoT is here to stay and make our lives easier but at the same time open up more surface area to hacks. Cars are just the beginning, its coming soon to your hobs, refrigerator, washing machine, aircon units et al pretty soon. In fact we will soon be able to activate all of this via Alexa or Google or Siri while still driving and that is a bit worrisome. Watch this video by a rocket engineer, Destin Sandlin, @

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozIKwGt38LQ

on how your homes could be hacked in to by using laser signals via these smart assistants.



We are progressing and becoming more productive but it comes with the inherent risk of opening up new threat avenues. It is just the cost of progress...

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by aargee

... cars are just the beginning to threaten life ...
Imagine the same happening to the swarm of armed drones. The possibilities of catastrophe are virtually limitless

Completely agree. I recall seeing the exact same scenario in vivid detail when my sister's son was playing the videogame Ghost Recon Breakpoint. An extremely disconcerting situation

[Chhanda Das]

Originally Posted by aargee

Not to threaten, One hacker inside Ather servers sends me shivers, atleast that's a two-wheeler. Think about the scenario on larger scale, a car, flight or even a space shuttle!! The combined dangers of hardware & software with connected vehicles are limitless!!

Here is a more suitable extremely scary real-life example where a 2014 Jeep Cherokee is remotely hacked into submission :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK0SrxBC1xs

[aargee]

Instead of warnings & cautions, let me post a video on how to safe guard the keys this time

https://youtu.be/JJkdykwrWfs

In another video, they say store the car keys in refrigerator or microwave oven (don't turn on the oven though)

[amitayu]

Autonomous/ Self driven cars or thereby remote driving is just one aspect of the rising S/W components in modern cars.

There are more mundane aspects like ECI, BCM, TCS, EBD, different drive modes under AT, terrain choice etc that are redefining how we drive cars.

Now, whether all this adds or robs one of the driving experience is a debate for modern drivers.

I for one really love the auto wiper adjustment in my car, though I do not like auto transmission and all associate gizmos with AT, as I like being in control of my clutch, RPM and gearing options.

Wonder whether we are fossils of an older generation!