Skip to main content

Ethernet to tap new synergies for connected cars

Ethernet could be catalyst for bringing the automotive industry a step closer to connected vehicles. The latest report from Frost and Sullivan indicates that the need to integrate multiple consumer electronic devices into the car offering connected services and maintaining brand identity has led to a situation where original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are shifting toward higher connectivity options which could power prioritised and personalised services, catering to varied consumer needs. With the parad
July 25, 2013 Read time: 3 mins
Ethernet could be catalyst for bringing the automotive industry a step closer to connected vehicles

The latest report from Frost & Sullivan indicates that the need to integrate multiple consumer electronic devices into the car offering connected services and maintaining brand identity has led to a situation where original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are shifting toward higher connectivity options which could power prioritised and personalised services, catering to varied consumer needs. With the paradigm shift toward connected cars and associated services such as automotive-app stores and connected location based services, there is an ever-increasing need for higher data transfer bandwidths. Ethernet could serve as the backbone to the electronic architecture connecting domains and sub networks that require higher bandwidth and also cater to consumers’ need for connectivity.

Frost and Sullivan estimates that the total number of Ethernet ports globally will reach 300 million by 2020. The number of nodes or ports is expected to range from more than 100 in luxury cars, 50–60 in mass market segment cars, and less than ten nodes in entry level cars by 2020.

“Ethernet could be the catalyst for bringing the automotive industry a step closer to connected vehicles,” says Frost and Sullivan senior research analyst, Divya Krishnamurthy. “With its capability to simplify the networking architecture, higher uptake rates are expected in the near future.”

The bandwidth requirement for in-vehicle electronic applications, such as camera-assisted parking with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), lane departure warning systems, collision avoidance systems, and traffic light recognition is higher, in the range over 100Mbps. The number of nodes to be connected therefore is also higher. Most importantly, proven IP-based Ethernet technology enables OEMs to use a single-network platform by significantly reducing the connectivity cost and cabling weight. It is scalable and flexible enough to be used in multiple vehicle segments.

“OEMs are now working to bring in Ethernet into their future models that will fulfil all kinds of telematics and infotainment demands of end users,” says Ms Krishnamurty. “OEMs can benefit from the use of Ethernet to reduce connectivity cost and weight due to lighter cabling leading to better fuel economy.”

“It is also indicative that OEMs such as 1731 BMW, 1684 Hyundai, 3883 Jaguar Land Rover, 948 General Motors, American 1683 Honda and 1900 PSA Peugeot Citroën are also part of the open alliance (one-pair Ethernet), a special interest group (SIG) to use Ethernet as a standard solution for infotainment and telematics,” concludes Ms Krishnamurthy.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Smartphone solution for parking performance
    March 31, 2017
    Automated parking offers optimised space utilisation and fewer damage complaints as David Crawford discovers. As cars become smarter, technology designed to make parking them more straightforward is developing in parallel. In turn, it is becoming clear that the places where vehicles spend much of their time will need to respond – more comprehensively than by supporting established aids such as smartphone-based parking location and reservation, or payment for time used.
  • Smartphone solution for parking performance
    March 31, 2017
    Automated parking offers optimised space utilisation and fewer damage complaints as David Crawford discovers. As cars become smarter, technology designed to make parking them more straightforward is developing in parallel. In turn, it is becoming clear that the places where vehicles spend much of their time will need to respond – more comprehensively than by supporting established aids such as smartphone-based parking location and reservation, or payment for time used.
  • New vehicle technologies ‘could help reduce fatalities on European motorways’
    March 5, 2015
    New safety technologies could play a major role in reducing the numbers killed on European motorways, according to the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), in a new report published today. The new analysis of developments in motorway safety shows that, despite recent progress, around 1,900 were killed on motorways in the EU in 2013. The report cites figures from several countries showing that up to 60 per cent of those killed in motorway collisions were not wearing a seatbelt. It calls on the EU to req
  • Civil engineers find fuel savings where the rubber meets the road
    May 23, 2012
    A new study by civil engineers at MIT shows that using stiffer pavements on America’s roads could reduce vehicle fuel consumption by as much as three per cent, that could add up to 273 million barrels of crude oil per year, or US$15.6 billion at today’s oil prices. This would result in an accompanying annual decrease in CO2 emissions of 46.5 million metric tons.