- On 24.05.2019, eco will present its guidelines on “Connected and Autonomous Mobility” in Munich, inclusive of analyses and recommendations for action for the automotive industry
- The majority of the younger generation sees the Internet as the key to a safe, connected mobility of the future
- The vision of mobility of the future: All means of transport in a smartphone app
The self-driving car will allow traffic to flow faster in the future. A substantial proportion – 42.7 percent – of German citizens already expect this today, according to a representative survey of the German population carried out by Civey on behalf of the eco Association.* On the question of whether autonomous vehicles will also make road traffic safer, opinions diverge. Nevertheless, across the entire population in all age groups, 36.6 percent of all citizens believe that self-driving cars prevent accidents, whereas 45.4 percent do not yet believe so. In particular, a majority of the under-49-year-old generation trusts in the safety of self-driving cars. Among the 18 to 29-year-olds, conviction is even higher – at 57.4 percent – but among the over-65-year-olds, only 22.7 percent demonstrate such trust.
eco – Association of the Internet Industry wishes to encourage the automotive industry to push ahead with the secure and efficient digital transformation of mobility – all the way through to the self-driving car. “Our goal is to interlink the automotive industry and the Internet sector more closely and to contribute to bringing mobility services and eventually the self-driving car onto the streets with cyber security, data protection, and well-defined accountability and liability areas,” says eco Managing Director Alexander Rabe, who will present the 46-page guidelines “Connected and Autonomous Mobility” publicly for the first time on 24 May 2019 in Munich.
The Internet as key for the connected mobility of the future
Making use of the best routes and taking advantage of all means of transport, customers can get to their destination faster and more comfortably with mobility apps. To establish and expand the required digital infrastructure, there is a need for a strong Internet industry, whose companies will play an increasingly important role in future in the mobility ecosystem.
Vehicles will exchange increasingly large amounts of data, be it with each other or in interplay with traffic lights, signs, or the road itself. Through the many interfaces and wireless data transfers, more and more cars are becoming a part of the Internet of Things (IoT). This is also resulting in a range of new challenges. “Intelligent security concepts need to be considered from the very outset, in order to protect vehicles reliably against attacks via the Internet,” says Rabe. Regular updates are indispensable to react to new threats and continuously guarantee the security of a system.
A world-encompassing, digital mobility ecosystem
A further challenge on the way to self-driving cars is data protection, which should already be taken into account by the manufacturer during software development. The processing of data in the car during maintenance, route planning, location / position, and speed, but also information on driver behavior, the entertainment system, and last but not least, the information that vehicle sensors collect, are in the focus here: “The exchange of data and the rights pertaining to the processing of personal data are subject to the clear rules of the GDPR in Europe,” says Rabe.
In future, the ePrivacy Regulation, currently under discussion, and the Electronic Communications Code Directive will also be relevant for connected cars when it comes to electronic data transfers. “Crucially, connected car applications must be developed and operated according to the Privacy-by-Design approach and the principle of data minimization. The management of privacy and personal data, alongside security, are in the focus of these developments,” says Rabe, commenting that the legislator is also under the obligation to formulate pragmatic and consistent framework conditions for this highly innovative economic environment which also ensure corresponding legal certainty for the sector. But it is precisely the Privacy Regulation itself which is creating the greatest uncertainty for developers and companies.
Data protection “made in Europe” is setting international standards
Ultimately, autonomous vehicles also present new challenges for warranty and liability law in the automotive sector. In particular, road safety requires that the risks of malfunctions in autonomous vehicles be addressed before they even crop up. In this respect, there is much to be said for pursuing a preventive approach to servicing and maintaining autonomous vehicles when they are in operation.
“Safety is a central issue for the acceptance of self-driving cars,” concludes Rabe. “We must provide the best possible protection for mobility against attacks by cyber criminals and, building on the Digital Single Market approach, establish internationally compatible standards for data protection and implement them on a standardized basis. If we take seriously and at the same time create powerful digital infrastructures – for example with 5G technology and through strengthening the data center landscape and developing edge computing – then we will succeed in making mobility more comfortable, faster, and safer.”
* The opinion research company Civey interviewed 5,000 people on behalf of eco Service GmbH between 9 and 10 May 2019. The results are representative of the German population aged 18 and over. The standardized error of measurement of the overall results is 2.5 percent.
