India’s Connected Vehicle event is back offline after two years. Held in Bengaluru from May 4 to May 6, the event saw attendance from the chipset, NAD module, telematics, cybersecurity and mapping domains, besides regulatory bodies and communication service providers within the connected and autonomous vehicles ecosystem. Analysts from Counterpoint Research were also present. Here are their key takeaways from the sessions held at the event.

Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric and Smart Mobility

India is lagging in connected car penetration (17%) compared to the global market (43%). However, the country is also preparing for a shift towards smart electric mobility and focussing on local manufacturing. Such events will help Indian ecosystem players to remain updated on the latest in the field around the world and prepare themselves for the coming transformation.

5G Automotive Association, Tata Elxsi, Dell and what3words participated in this session and discussed the need for C-V2X technology for better communication, opportunities for ecosystem players from connected mobility, a paradigm shift from hardware to software-centric approach and a unique mapping solution that uses three keywords.

Source: Counterpoint Research Smart Automotive Services, 2022

Shifting Future of Automotive Industry to Top Gear with Connected Mobility

The rising demand for safety and comfort features is helping to increase connected car penetration. We expect more than 70% of cars will be connected by 2025 in the global market and one in four cars will have 5G connectivity. However, connectivity penetration will be lower than 40% in India by 2025.

This session mainly focussed on safety during driving, challenges in handling data generated from vehicles, creating actionable insights from telemetry data, and collaborative effort among OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to make this transition smooth. Intel, Zeliot, VE Commercial Vehicles and Danlaw shared their understanding of this transition.

Driving Towards Connected, Secure, Autonomous & Electric Mobility

In the future, cars will be driven by software. We have already witnessed smartphone players such as Foxconn and Xiaomi entering this market. Data will be the new fuel and nearly 30% of the automotive market value will come from software and services. Moreover, electronic content in a car will rise with increasing smart electric mobility penetration.

According to Counterpoint’s latest research, India’s automotive electronics market will triple by 2027, driven by rising income levels and increasing customer preference for in-vehicle digital experience.

Collaborative efforts of all ecosystem players, whether OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, regulatory bodies, system integrators or service providers, are important for a successful transition. The Indian government is also working to come up with AIS189 and AIS190 standards for connected vehicle security. Continental and Bosch share the same view on this topic and think a collaborative effort will be the key to connected mobility success in India. Secure Things highlighted how our vehicles are becoming more prone to safety issues and hacking. Both hardware and software level security will be required as preventive measures.

Emerging Technologies - Riding the Next Wave of Connected & Autonomous Mobility

Connected mobility is undergoing dramatic changes. Earlier, we used to connect smartphones to a car via Bluetooth or cable. Today, most cars come with embedded connectivity. In the future, cars will be able to communicate with other vehicles, pedestrians, networks, infrastructure, grid and home.

The upcoming connected and autonomous era will induce a huge influx of data for which substantial storage will be required. We expect Level 4 cars will require more than 1TB of data storage by 2025. Moreover, 30% of cars sold globally will support Level 2 or above. Western Digital is working on automotive storage products. It believes that one day storage will be a key feature at the time of selecting a vehicle. During this session, Bosch introduced Mobility Cloud Platform and Mobility Marketplace. This platform can support other IoT applications such as industrial and enterprise.

Download the full analysis from event sessions below:

ADAS - A Game Changer for Safe and Autonomous Driving

MG Motors introduced ADAS in India for the first time back in 2019 through its L1 SUV Hector. Even as ADAS technology is rapidly gaining acceptance in the global market, India is not that far behind. Currently, L2+ autonomy is being offered in most premium vehicles. With the changing landscape of vehicle architecture, the incorporation of ADAS will be easier and more cost-effective.

Windriver and Hexagon showed how the changing vehicle architecture will benefit system integration and deployment of autonomy. While Windriver has expertise in test and analysis of vehicle architecture and software and ADAS system, Hexagon helps deploy autonomy across sectors and platforms by blending the digital and physical worlds. Hexagon uses ML algorithms to create a simulation through well-captured surround photos. The simulation helps understand how a situation will look with automation, and also increases the accuracy of the automated process.

Shaping the Future of Mobility with IoT, Connectivity & Sustainability

The mobility roadmap is hugely dependent on connectivity. OEMs are constantly innovating to make the journey more pleasurable with better IVI system, better navigation, CV2X and ultimately autonomy, which will not be possible if a proper vehicular connection is not established. According to our research, global cellular IoT module shipments are expected to cross 1.2 billion units by 2030 with a CAGR of 12%. 5G will be the fastest-growing (60%) technology, followed by 4G Cat 1 bis, during 2022-2030. Among cellular IoT modules, global NAD module shipments are expected to reach 80 million by 2025, growing at 14% CAGR from 2021, with one out of every five connected cars projected to have embedded 5G connectivity by then.

Leading frontline companies like Cavli Wireless and MediaTek have shared some details about how they plan to increase connectivity across the automotive industry. As the future bets on autonomy, connectivity benefits are not just limited to in-vehicle internet browsing and autonomy but also extend to vehicle accident prevention, better navigation, precise tracking and more. In short, increased connectivity will enable a sustainable digital ecosystem that, if used properly, holds immense development potential.

Intelligent Transportation System to Promote Safety & Improve Mobility

Increased vehicle connectivity has made transportation safer, more reliable and timelier. Along with changing architecture and increased integration of improved software, the addition of newer technologies is becoming easier.

Intellicar, Skoda, and IBM took the stage to showcase how intelligent transport solutions could tackle some of the general and critical issues of the industry. Intellicar has a solution line from hardware and firmware customization to a low-latency data directory. Skoda showed how intelligent systems can reduce road accidents. IBM provided a global overview and discussed its strength as a software developer and system integrator.

Protecting Software-defined Vehicles with Cybersecurity Solutions

With the increased use of software and internet, present-day cars are no less than a computer and like every other computer, cars are also exposed to cyber threats like malware. If the system used in vehicles is not properly protected, a lot of damage can happen, including loss of life. Therefore, strong and effective anti-virus protection with an improved firewall is much required.

Escrypt, a cyber threat protection company, was of the view that vehicle data safety could be ensured through blockchain-based communication systems, smart gateways, cyber digital twin, AI-based detectors and other encryption systems.

Charting the Future of Connected Mobility with Automotive Telematics

The growing automotive sector holds a lot of potential for the development of new and smart technologies. The transition from conventional vehicles to EVs is also paving the road toward a sustainable connected future. Technologies that were limited to certain fields earlier are finding their way into the expanding automotive space. The use of security systems, blockchain, data tokenization and other platform-based and protocol-based technologies and services is penetrating the automotive space, making the sector more flexible, versatile and user-friendly.

Source: Counterpoint Research Smart Automotive Services, 2022

Market Outlook

Emerging technologies such as ADAS/AD, in-vehicle connectivity, upgraded cybersecurity for the software-defined vehicles, electric vehicles and connected vehicles are taking centre stage as the automotive industry undergoes a paradigm shift. The automotive supply chain is dynamically changing as well, with OEMs making huge investments and starting to adopt digital services to remain future-proof and not cede revenue monetizing opportunities to technology companies. Apart from traditional auto OEMs, the involvement of non-automotive tech companies has been increasing in this space. The future of the automotive sector will be heavily dependent on digital technology. Due to traditional auto OEMs’ lack of expertise in digitalization, non-automotive companies are partnering with them to secure a market share in this growing space.

Related Reports:

• Global Telematics Control Unit Shipments Grew 13% YoY in 2021
• Global Connected Car Market Remains Resilient; 5G Cars Deployed Globally
• How Connected Vehicle Data is Shaping the Automotive Industry
• Price Hikes Slow Automotive Industry Recovery
• Global Cellular IoT Module Shipments to Cross 1.2 Bn Units by 2030
• Top 10 Automotive Announcements at CES 2022
• Automotive NAD Module Market Sees Slow Growth in Q3 2021 Due to Tight Supply Chain
• Tesla AI Day: From Cars and Chips to Robots
• Ukraine Crisis Derails Automotive Recovery
• India Passenger Vehicle Model Sales Tracker - Q4 2021
• India Two-Wheeler Model Sales Tracker - Q4 2021
• Global Passenger Vehicle Forecast 2018-2030F