Automotive manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company and technology conglomerate Cisco Systems have revealed a new technology roadmap that will enable next-generation in-vehicle networking with security.

Additionally, the companies have shared their timelines for commercial deployment of hyper-connected production vehicles, planned for 2019. Technology advancements from the collaboration will enable Hyundai and Cisco to disrupt the automotive industry at a faster pace.

This unique automotive and information technology (IT) collaboration is focused on technology solutions for in-vehicle data demands, which will increase exponentially with autonomous driving and other connectivity needs.

Hyundai and Cisco are focusing on moving away from restrictive controller area network systems, to ethernet communications which boast processing speeds of up to 1 Gb/s. Ethernet-based software also supports integrated data control, which allows for flexible expansion of connections to handle large data sets coming from various components in the vehicle simultaneously.

The two companies have created a new platform that provides highly secure access to all the data in the vehicle. The platform is highly configurable and offers the flexibility to design and build new services. It will also accelerate innovation, provide ‘over the air updates’, and shorten the life cycle in bringing new capabilities to the market.

“Hyundai Motor Group’s ongoing collaboration with top global technology companies is a testament to our ‘Open Innovation’ spirit that will prepare us for continued leadership as transportation and mobility undergo an unprecedented evolution. Our partnership with Cisco is an outstanding example of such efforts and, in 2019, we will unveil the first vehicle equipped with groundbreaking connected-car technologies jointly developed by the two companies,” says Hyundai Motor Group Auto Intelligence Division executive VP Seung Ho Hwang.

The Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) platform is an in-vehicle network that sets the table for adaptive technologies. It also offers integrated, enhanced security as well as full end-to-end networking. The SDV will allow new, high-speed services through an integration layer between software and legacy hardware.

By enabling Internet Protocol (IP) and ethernet services, legacy buses and devices will work together with the new ethernet attached devices and services. Through its work with Cisco, Hyundai Motor will ensure that its connected car infrastructure can adapt to new innovations in vehicle-to-everything communication, or V2X, that will allow for a much safer autonomous driving experience and enable ‘smart traffic’ services. This will allow the connected car platform to evolve and link cars to everything from homes and offices to city infrastructure and other vehicles through intelligent networks, The Internet of Things, and IP technologies.

“Cisco is pleased to bring a standards-based approach in partnership with the automotive industry; one that will help accelerate innovation, and increase the value to the consumer. By creating a flexible, scalable and secure platform, we are allowing automotive companies to deliver better cars – faster,” says Cisco Growth Initiatives VP and chief of staff to CEO Ruba Borno.

Hyundai and Cisco initiated collaborative development in 2016 and jointly shared their vision for connected mobility at the Consumer Electronics Show 2017, demonstrating their “hyper-connected car”. The two industry leaders agreed that the next phase of transportation must have a new and innovative communication infrastructure with a flexible and more secure platform that would also offer a path to innovate and build smart-vehicle solutions.

Hyundai’s own development teams have been creating core technology since 2013, including Hyundai Car Cloud, Connected Car Operating System, and Connected Car Service Platform. Hyundai will also work on other connected car technologies and related services, such as smartphone and smart home connected services, intelligent remote support, fully autonomous driving, smart traffic functionality and mobility hubs.

With the In-Vehicle Network software scheduled to arrive in 2019, Hyundai is poised to take a global lead with yet another key connected car technology.