At first glance it may appear that smaller startups have little to no chance at competing, but, that is an illusion

Unbeknownst to many consumers, autonomous vehicles are not something coming to us in the future – they are here, already, being test driven on public roads. As so often happens, technology is moving faster than regulators do, and there is not a lot of legislation out there to protect humans driving alongside them. Legislation will eventually make its mark of course, and in September the US National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) released their updated guidelines on Autonomous Drive Systems (ADS).

It is unsurprising that cybersecurity was listed as a priority in designing safety for autonomous vehicles. Hacking is one of the great concerns to manufacturers and their customer base, and something automotive manufacturers, Silicon Valley, and tech companies worldwide have been zeroing in on. Without providing a security system that consumers trust, the autonomous vehicle market will be slow to gain a stronghold.

What Are the Risks?

Do any casual poll online or among the people you talk with and ask them what their number one concern about autonomous vehicles are. It is likely that their answer will be “safety,” both untrustworthy driving abilities of a “computer,” and, the evil motivations of hackers taking control of the vehicle. Convincing self drivers of the the safety benefits of ADS is critical. Here are the facts uncovered by an in depth article in The Atlantic:

  • 94 percent of crashes involve some form of driver error or impairment immediately before impact.
  • 4 million of the nearly 11 million crashes that occur annually could potentially be avoided if distractions were eliminated.
  • A meta-analysis of 28 studies confirms that typing or reading on our phones while driving adversely affects stimulus detection, reaction time, lane positioning, vehicle control, and, yes, collision rate.
  • Some researchers have concluded that texting while driving may pose more of an accident risk than driving either under the influence of marijuana or at the legal alcohol limit.
  • Teenagers aren’t the primary offenders of texting while driving. A survey of more than 2,000 adults suggests that they are just as likely as teens to have texted behind the wheel

What Are the Opportunities?

The opportunity for consumer safety and enjoyment are massive when it comes to ADS. Fewer accidents and the ability to do something other than drive while in a vehicle are very desirable to human drivers. The real opportunity lies in business, specifically, technology. Uber, Google and other forward thinking or disruptive companies have been pouring money into advancing ADS. Traditional auto manufacturers haven’t been slouching either – many industry insiders agree that they are outpacing Silicon Valley. It still remains to be seen if a nontraditional auto manufacturer will disrupt the automotive industry by bringing the ADS widely to consumers.

Another interesting question right now is: who will tamp down consumer fears of safety and hacking? Who will lead the way in cybersecurity for autonomous vehicles?

Who Are the Cybersecurity Players?

This question is the most difficult to answer because things  are moving fast and the auto manufacturers are holding their cards close. Here’s what we know:

Not everything is top secret. The entire burgeoning ADS cybersecurity industry faces the same global challenges, and the industry recognizes that each of them can’t be reinventing their own wheels. For that reason AUTO – ISAC was created to collaborate across the global automotive industry.

Academia is playing an important role. Nicola Bezzo, assistant professor of systems and information engineering at the University of Virginia, has been working on understanding how to detect cyber attacks on modern vehicles.

Researchers at Texas A&M’s Cyberphysical Systems Laboratory have figured out how to apply dynamic watermarking to sensor traffic as a way to weed out malicious traffic.

Also read: Self-driving cars are in our midst, and the key issues are control and security

GM is a player again. For years, even decades, GM lost ground in automotive sales, but the company is not going to be caught flat footed when it comes to the ADS marketing. It’s 2016 acquisition of self driving startup Cruise allowed it to keep pace with Apple, and it’s purchase of Sidecar announced to the industry that GM was serious about leading again.

Google has no intention of sitting idly by. The tech giant’s self driving technology, WAYMO, has been in existence since 2009 and has logged millions of miles of self driving. It recently released an in depth report and covered its “Safety Processes” specifically, and its Self-Driving Vehicle Cybersecurity.

Apple is focusing on the systems. In an interview with Bloomberg News Tim Cook made it clear that Apple was focusing on the technology with the ADS, and not building self driving cars. Apple veteran Bob Mansfield took over Project Titan with a focus on developing the autonomous system.Tesla is miles ahead in this race. Tasha Keeney, an analyst at ARK Invest, believes Tesla is the one to bet on in the race to mainstream ADS. She cites the inability of legacy manufacturers to adapt quickly, Tesla’s existing hardware and direct to consumer model, and data collection as the key. This data is used to push updates directly to the vehicle instantly, a key in safety and security.

This is not an American race. Detroit based automakers and Silicon Valley based tech companies are in fierce competition on the ADS front, but there are other global competitors to keep an eye on. Germany’s automotive manufacturing firm Continental AG recently announced the acquisition of Israeli startup Argus Cyber Security for $400 million.

Patents Tell The Tale

There is a race to autonomous vehicle domination, and it is littered with tech and automotive companies. The fact that you’ve been in the automotive business for 100 years does not put you light years ahead of a startup. However, one look at who is dominating patent filing gives an indication that Google may be sitting in a prime spot.

Of the 1200 patents filed in this sector, one third of them were filed by tech companies with Google leading the way. Forbes reported the following stats on the patent race:

  • Google – 223
  • Audi – 221
  • BMW – 198
  • Daimler – 159
  • GM – 141
  • VW – 75

Other tech companies filing patents include Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and even Amazon. What all of this means is that large automotive and tech companies are vested, with huge amounts of money and personnel, in winning the race to mainstreaming autonomous vehicles. At first glance it may appear that smaller startups have little to no chance at competing, but, that is an illusion. Most of the large companies competing have gained their prowess through acquisition and development. One of the most fascinating parts to watch will be what startups are acquired next, and by whom.

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