Using Ethernet for the networked vehicles of the future

Networking of vehicle systems

Cars which warn each other of traffic jams and accidents or mobile terminals connected to the vehicle network: increasing networking of vehicle systems with each other and their environment is a megatrend in the automotive sector. Ethernet network technology offers a way of processing large volumes of data. The system enables data to be precisely specified, assigned and exchanged.

Industry consortium

The Institute for Vehicle Technology and Mobility (IFM) of TÜV NORD, alongside BMW, VW, Continental tyres and Bosch, is a member of the OPEN Alliance industry consortium. This group, with around 200 members, not only analyses existing Ethernet standards against the needs of the automotive industry, but also develops its own automotive-specific standards for the use of Ethernet.

Compared with the data processing systems in use today, Ethernet allows considerably faster data transfer rates, and is already used in the automation and aviation industries.

By 2016, the consortium wants to develop the standards needed to enable mass production of cars fitted with Ethernet.