Upgradeable, connected cars enabled by Elektrobit

ERLANGEN – July 19, 2018 – Elektrobit (EB)—a leading developer of cutting-edge, embedded, and connected technology products and solutions for the automotive industry—has announced EB cadian Sync. Together with ARGUS Cyber Security, this modular solution allows car makers to safely and securely keep their fleets up to date, regardless of size. The new software product forms the basis for automated and connected cars and minimizes the risk of security threats.

EB cadian Sync opens the door to offering software as a product (SaaP) or service (SaaS) over a vehicle’s entire life cycle. With these new business models, car makers can offer “upgradeable” vehicles equipped with the hardware needed for a variety of exclusive features. Consumers are able to activate software functionalities after the car is purchased or for a special occasion. For example, when taking a road trip, drivers can easily activate Adaptive Cruise Control for more comfort. Furthermore, with an updated infotainment system, car makers can create a consistent and more modern brand experience.

In order to also manage the ever-changing and increasingly complex risks that come with advanced vehicle technologies, car makers have to continuously improve the functions of vehicles that are already on the road, whether this means improving safety systems or protecting against external cybersecurity threats. EB cadian Sync offers car makers a non-intrusive method for maintaining their fleets, to have the latest software version installed. Similar to the mobile phone to which consumers are already accustomed, OTA updates can be completed when a car is not in use, anytime, anywhere.

“Consumers demand innovation, flexibility, and data protection” says Andreas Heim, Executive Vice President Products and Innovations at Elektrobit. “With secure, over-the-air updates, EB cadian Sync gives car makers more control over their fleet and drivers more control over their individual driving experience, opening up new possibilities for the car maker-driver relationship.”

EB cadian Sync establishes an end-to-end, secure communication channel to enable OTA updates within the car. The scalable, hardware-agnostic software toolchain supports the OTA updates of software in all Electronic Control Units (ECUs) used in the vehicle and is not limited to head units and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. EB cadian Sync features a modular user interface (UI) portal for seamless vehicle, campaign, and software management. EB provides the backend required for such updates as well as all the required services to operate EB cadian Sync on the customer’s infrastructure of choice.

With more than 1 billion devices in more than 90 million vehicles, EB is an experienced and ISO 26262-certified supplier of AUTOSAR basic software and has a decades-long track record of automotive security expertise, strengthened by the collaboration with ARGUS Cyber Security. An experienced partner in connected solutions, EB supports car makers and suppliers with deployment, operations, monitoring, testing, and more.