▲ Genesis GV 60 infotainment display (Photo source: Hyundai Motor Group)



Tesla, Most Controllers Apply OTA
OTA introduction… Security issues must be resolved

As 'software-defined cars' are creating a stir in the mobility industry to the point of being called 'smartphones on the road,' OTA, a key technology, is also attracting attention.

According to the industry, many global automobile manufacturers are showing enthusiasm for introducing OTA.

Hyundai Motor Company announced at its CEO Investor Day last month that it will invest 12 trillion won by 2030 to strengthen software such as connectivity. The plan is to implement an “all-connected car” by 2025 and expand controller OTA by analyzing accumulated data. The industry expects that OTA will be applied starting with the Genesis electric vehicle GV60 and G90 models to be released in 2022.

Volvo Korea obtained special approval for OTA service last year and applied Android Automotive OS-based OTA function to the C40 and C40 Recharge models released in 2022. This includes vehicle software and T-map.

A software-defined vehicle (SDV) is a vehicle that implements various functions through software. It can also be seen that the perception of automobiles as 'machines' is changing to that of 'electronic products'.

SDV has the convenience of not having to go to a repair shop because it can update functions such as infotainment, camera, and battery wirelessly.

The core technology of SDV is OTA (Over The Air). OTA is a technology that wirelessly updates vehicle controller software.

Many automakers' OTA is still limited to navigation and infotainment updates, while Tesla has implemented OTA for most of the controllers in its vehicles.

On the 25th of last month, Tesla recalled 947 electric vehicles due to a rear camera defect. This is because there was a problem where the rear camera image appeared slightly late on the display when reversing. Tesla resolved this problem with the OTA function. When it faced a recall in November of last year due to emergency braking devices to prevent collisions while driving, it also resolved the problem with a software update via OTA. As of November 3 of last year, Tesla announced that 99.8% of the vehicles subject to the recall had their defects fixed through updates.

OTA has great potential, but some say it is not easy to introduce. Security issues are one of the reasons. With the market expected to grow to 86% of the global automobile market by 2025, there are concerns that connections through various networks could provide attack vectors for hackers. “Connected cars can be exposed to threats such as malicious software, data manipulation, and hardware-level physical attacks from hackers,” said Infineon’s Lee Kyung-soo. “This can threaten the safety of vehicle drivers, cause personal data loss, and even impact manufacturers’ businesses.”

LG Electronics also said that it is important for cars to have the same software functions and versions. When driving autonomously, cars on the road exchange signals with each other to control driving speed, change direction, and manage emergency situations. If one car has an old software version and cannot exchange signals properly, it can lead to an accident, so they all need to be updated to the latest functions and maintain communication with each other.

The OTA process begins with the gateway controller communicating with the cloud server to receive the files to be updated. The gateway controller then transmits the downloaded files to over 100 vehicle controllers via wires.

The update has a download phase and an installation phase. The download phase is the phase where the gateway controller downloads the update file and distributes it to each controller. The vehicle can be used during the download phase. The installation phase updates and installs the downloaded file. Driving and charging are not possible during the installation phase. This is because the charging controller may be updating.

Memory duplication is also necessary to enable recovery functions in preparation for situations such as Internet outages. This is a technology that creates a copy and then downloads and installs it, and then restores it to its original state even if stability issues occur in the middle. The background download feature is a technology that allows driving and charging during the download phase.

In addition, semiconductors with various security hardware engines are required for OTA security, and Infineon provides various OTA and Secure Boot functions required recently through its TRAVEO™ T2G product.