Protecting connected autonomous vehicles in a smart city

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Depending on the deployment model for highly automated vehicles, wider impacts of automation may radically reshape transport demand or change the nature of the existing demand, says Dr. Tom Voege, Policy Analyst at International Transport Forum.

INCREASING automation of passenger and freight vehicles offers potential safety improvements and better traffic performance, however, while the potential is great, there are still many unknowns that decision makers must manage. First among these unknowns is an uncertainty regarding safety impacts and security vulnerabilities that could emerge during increased deployment of automated vehicles, particularly when seen as part of a wider smart city approach. If authorities and companies are caught short by unanticipated incidents during deployment phases for these technologies, public distrust may grow. Furthermore, if these incidents are the result of inherent technology limitations or design flaws, automation in transport may be held back; delaying the delivery of benefits.

A second key point relates to security and privacy of connected and automated vehicles’ systems. This includes ways of defining security-relevant system boundaries considering electronic control units, silicon hardware, software, vehicle systems, infrastructure, network connectivity and more.