Just yards from the Leicester Tigers rugby ground, and nearby of each Sandicliffe and Vertu dealerships, a brand new Polestar dealership has opened its doors, writes Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry.
On the face of it, there’s nothing particularly remarkable about one other automotive retailer joining certainly one of the UK’s established automotive clusters. Yet the timing of the opening is difficult to disregard.
It comes as the US has announced that it has effectively blocked Polestar from selling recent vehicles from the 2027 model 12 months onwards, following the US Commerce Department’s decision to not authorise the corporate under its Connected Vehicles regulations.
Technology linked to China and Russia
The American rules mark a major change in the way in which governments are starting to view the fashionable automotive.
The connected vehicle is not any longer simply a method of transport; it’s a pc on wheels, able to collecting data, communicating with external systems and receiving software updates throughout its life.
The US regulations place particular emphasis on the potential national-security risks related to connected-vehicle technology linked to China and Russia, including questions of ownership, control and the availability of software and hardware.
That approach contrasts sharply with the direction being taken within the UK.
Cybersecurity, software governance, safety
Questions have already been raised in Parliament concerning the potential risks posed by Chinese and Russian technology in connected vehicles. In response, the Government has said it’s working with the Department for Transport, the National Cyber Security Centre and other departments to evaluate the risks related to connected vehicles, including electric vehicles.
Quite than immediately adopting US approach, nonetheless, the UK has to this point focused on cybersecurity, software governance and vehicle safety through the implementation of UN Regulations 155 and 156.
R155 establishes requirements for vehicle cybersecurity, including the identification, assessment and management of cyber threats. R156 introduces requirements governing software updates throughout a vehicle’s life, including the systems manufacturers should have in place to make sure that those updates are secure, controlled and properly managed.
Together, the regulations represent a fundamental shift in automotive regulation. The automotive is not any longer being treated solely as a mechanical product; it’s increasingly recognised as a connected, software-defined system that may evolve long after it has left the showroom.
Satirically, these requirements got here into force for brand spanking new vehicle types in Great Britain on June 1 this 12 months, yet their significance has received remarkably little attention outside the specialist cybersecurity and regulatory sectors.
Who controls the technology?
The excellence between the British and American approaches is very important. The US framework is anxious not simply with whether a vehicle is technically secure, but with who controls the technology and where that control originates.
The UK’s regulatory model, in contrast, is principally concerned with whether the vehicle and its supporting systems can display appropriate levels of cybersecurity, software governance and safety.
If governments are increasingly prepared to treat connected vehicles as potential national-security assets or liabilities, should the UK be considering a broader approach that goes beyond technical cybersecurity certification?
R155 and R156 ask a crucial query: is the vehicle secure?
The Americans are asking one other: who ultimately controls the technology inside it?
As the excellence between the automotive, the pc and the connected network continues to vanish, that second query may turn out to be unimaginable for our industry to disregard.
Creator: Professor Jim Saker, president, Institute of the Motor Industry
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This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
