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

  • EV sales prospects in central and eastern Europe
    June 15, 2012
    Electric vehicle (EV) sales in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), a region with a population of over 100 million people and a solid macroeconomic environment, are anticipated to cross the 60,000 mark by 2017 and witness even stronger growth post 2017, generating revenue opportunities for existing and new market participants in the e-mobility area.
  • Global ADAS market forecast
    June 23, 2015
    The latest research report by RnRMarketResearch forecasts the global ADAS market to grow at 24.97 per cent CAGR to 2019 and segments the market into seven categories: tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), park assistance system (PAS), adaptive cruise control (ACC), blind spot detection (BSD), night vision system (NVS), lane departure warning system (LDWS) and others (including adaptive front lighting, drowsiness monitor, forward collision warning, head-up display, and driver monitoring systems). The r
  • Bordeaux beckons the world ITS community
    September 21, 2015
    In less than three weeks’ time, global transport leaders and policy makers will gather to experience the latest developments from the intelligent transport solutions (ITS) industry, as the ITS World Congress opens its doors in Bordeaux, France. The Congress, run by Ertico, is the 22nd ITS World Congress, and is centred on the theme of “Towards Intelligent Mobility – Better Use of Space”. It will focus not only on how achieving intelligent mobility will change our lives but also on how space can benefit I
  • New research predicts growth of autonomous parking technology
    March 9, 2016
    New research by ABI Research forecasts that shipments of new cars featuring autonomous parking technologies to grow at 35 per cent CAGR between 2016 and 2026 and for revenues to likewise show growth at 29.5 per cent CAGR. ABI Research identifies three phases of autonomous parking, with each successive stage set to gradually displace the former and all three coexisting to some degree over the next decade. Ultimately, technology will reach a point in which the car parks itself entirely, with no driver assi