Government funding connected vehicle crash research

The Government is funding a project for assessing the cyber risk of connected and autonomous vehicles.

Environmental Engineering reports that HORIBA MIRA and Thatcham Research are amongst the list of research centres taking part in the project and will be the pioneers in the new age of 'crash testing' which will assess and rank the cyber risk of onboard software systems that control the vehicles of the future.

The report says it's still unclear how this will be achieved but that, "It's certain that the Euro NCAP 5*StarS group will face a massive challenge just in scoping the kind of systems to be assessed and the extent of the assessment.

"Described by one representative at HORIBA MIRA recently as the largest single piece of consumer electronics investment that anyone is likely to make, the car has awesome levels of electronic and software complexity. With infotainment, consumer-grade connectivity, passive safety sensors, active control systems and engine management being just a few of the electronic systems on board a vehicle, the potential entry points for a cyber criminal are plentiful and securing them is a significant challenge."

The report concludes saying a new era of crash testing has just begun and the risks to be assessed are significant so insurers and consumers alike are,"Looking forward to gaining confidence in the wave of autonomy that's just over the horizon."