In-vehicle internet initiative launched
In-vehicle internet initiative launched
A new initiative has been launched by the international Connected Vehicle Trade Association and Dusseldorf-based connected vehicle services provider ATX Group, to determine how drivers and passengers can safely access the internet.
Arnaud de Meulemeester, ATX Europe managing director, says ATX and the CVTA are hoping to recruit interested European entities to participate in the initiative.
ATX, which already enables web connectivity to select vehicles in Europe, also advocates the creation of a specific top-level domain – “.car” (dot-car) – to help ensure safe web browsing in the vehicle.
CVTA is organizing a working group to include automakers, suppliers, technology firms and content providers, to develop a framework that would apply to embedded, in-vehicle and mobile internet devices. Some of the issues the group will examine include what kind of content should be accessible and how it should be displayed; minimization of driver distraction through the use of speech technology; firewalls, viruses and other related issues and components of internet delivery.
The working group is chaired by Paul Thorpe, of OSS Nokalva, a vendor of software development toolkits that enable companies to develop standards-based applications.
“Internet content is beginning to enter the vehicle environment, and we need to bring together all relevant stakeholders to identify the safest means of interacting with this content,” says Scott McCormick, CVTA president.
“While the primary focus is to give motorists the ability to surf the web in their vehicles, there are other key issues for automakers involved in the scope of this initiative,” adds de Meulemeester. “Beyond meeting consumer expectations and reducing lead time to deployment, other considerations include ensuring flexibility of the interface for the life of the vehicle to customization according to vehicle model, country and driver type.”
