Following Labour's victory in the recent 2024 general election, they have recommitted to bringing forward the deadline for phasing out new petrol and diesel cars to 2030.
The UK government’s zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate requires 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in the UK to be zero-emission by 2030, rising to 100% by 2035.
However, the UK is projected to significantly under-achieve current electric vehicle (EV) sales targets for both 2030 and 2035. Fluctuating sales data and an overall decline in UK sales emphasise that there is work to be done to meet Labour's deadline.
This impending EV revolution also brings with it a number of cybersecurity issues, such as their reliance on local power grids and the increasing interconnectedness of vehicles around the world. As all new cars sold will be connected by 2026, protecting drivers and garages will be key to fostering the necessary growth.
One way to support industry readiness for the introduction of electric vehicles and other innovations is through clear and secure access to safety-related repair and maintenance information.
Not only does this ensure that manufacturers’ confidential repair information is protected, it also ensures that workshops can optimise their processes to meet the demand and diversity of vehicles on our roads.
Chief Technology Officer and Founder of Digidentity.
The fundamental role of secure information exchange in the automotive industry
Secure information exchange is critical to maintaining the integrity and reliability of vehicle systems in our highly interconnected and digital automotive environment.
The importance of these security measures is reinforced by a series of data breaches, most notably the 2022 Arnold Clarke ransomware attack, during which an unauthorized third party accessed the personal data, including contact details, banking details, social security numbers, vehicle information, and more, of more than 10,000 of the car dealership’s customers. In the weeks and months that followed, numerous victims reported evidence of attempted identity theft as well as instances of successful fraud, leading to legal action believed to have cost the dealership millions in damages.
The incident highlights how digital vulnerabilities can, beyond significant financial losses, quickly halt business operations, hamper customer service and raise concerns about data security, ultimately eroding trust between drivers and dealers.
Safety measures in the automotive sector are becoming increasingly important as the connective nature of cars increases, due to the emergence of advanced driver assistance systems, driver monitoring systems, e-commerce, pay-per-car parking, digital key systems, and more. These innovations require increased regulation to address the growth in connectivity, vehicle brands and models, as well as vehicle types.
How SERMI streamlines the exchange of information
Previously, data exchange between independent operators (IOs), remote service providers (RSS) and vehicle manufacturers was disjointed.
Each vehicle manufacturer required separate certifications, creating a complicated and time-consuming system to communicate with others throughout the vehicle lifecycle.
SERMI, the accreditation, approval and authorisation system for accessing safety-related maintenance and repair information, is a single, standardised access point for all members of the sector. It is an accreditation, approval and authorisation framework that guarantees secure access to critical vehicle data. This enables faster and more accurate repairs, reducing waiting times for customers.
The SERMI programme has already been introduced in 29 European countries and is due to be launched in the UK later this year, allowing independent garages to access the same repair information as dealers. Prior to SERMI, information asymmetry between dealers and independent garages put independent garages at a disadvantage. Consumers often perceived dealers as having a higher level of expertise due to their exclusive access to manufacturer information.
This plan is not only about accessibility, but also about maintaining security. Digital identity companies play a critical role in enabling a more seamless experience for all stakeholders, safe from malicious actors and breaches.
Importance of a Trust Center
The SERMI System Trust Center plays a key role in maintaining the integrity, security and reliability of the system. The Trust Center acts as a certification authority and issues digital certificates to authorized IO and RSS employees. These certificates authenticate the identity of the operators' employees and allow secure access to the vehicle manufacturer's safety-related maintenance and repair information.
This helps prevent unauthorized access and possible misuse of sensitive vehicle information.
Digidentity, SERMI’s trust centre, has developed a secure virtual token that is stored as a SERMI digital certificate in the Digidentity wallet on users’ mobile phone, granting IOs and RSS access to safety-related maintenance and repair information on each vehicle manufacturer’s website. This not only simplifies access, but also improves security by eliminating the need to store or manage multiple credentials.
In addition to eliminating the need for multiple logins and passwords and streamlining the information retrieval process, it also ensures that both parties' sensitive information remains secure.
Protecting automakers’ information is critical to preventing unauthorized access to diagnostic data, ensuring accurate and safe vehicle repairs, and protecting intellectual property. If left exposed to breaches, it could lead to faulty repairs, vehicle theft, and overall loss of consumer confidence.
Strengthening this automotive safety is becoming increasingly important as the push to meet the Labor Party deadline accelerates sales of electric vehicles over the next decade.
A Trust Centre plays a key role in this, ensuring that both technicians and drivers of these vehicles can maintain confidence and security, whilst supporting the growth of the industry in line with the greater goal of achieving a successful transition to a zero-emission future.
We list the best cloud antivirus.
This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel, where we showcase the brightest and brightest minds in the tech industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author, and not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you're interested in contributing, find out more here:
