PANTARIS Connect

PANTARIS Connect from ETAS ensure reliable and secure bidirectional exchange of software, data, and configurations between the vehicle and the cloud. In addition to over-the-air software updates of all electronic control units, this complete connectivity solution also supports remote access to vehicle and diagnostic functions as well as to vehicle data throughout the entire vehicle life cycle, thus eliminating the need for workshop visits. This accelerates the market launch of new vehicle functions and enables seamless integration of the vehicle into current and future digital ecosystems. It also provides opportunities for new business models where additional software-based vehicle features can be acquired and installed by customers both quickly and easily even long after the vehicle purchase.

Key benefits

Complete solution

One solution for all tasks involved in the management of connected vehicles: from the administration of the vehicle fleet to the rollout of software updates and the collection of diagnostic and measurement data. This encompasses everything from individual vehicles in preproduction development to global campaigns for complete vehicle fleets.

High data security

State-of-the-art encryption technologies, signed update packages, integrated functions to prevent unauthorized access, and the optional use of hardware security modules ensure complete and reliable protection against external system manipulation.

Easy integration into existing solutions

The consistent use of open, standardized interfaces and protocols simplifies the integration into existing systems and business processes.

Lower costs

Thanks to the modular design and individual compatibility of the products, users can combine custom service configurations to suit their own specific requirements. The costs incurred can thus be minimized in the long term. Moreover, the use of the software as a service (SaaS) model eliminates any additional expenditure for operating and maintaining the services in the user’s own infrastructure.

Our solution - already in customer use

Challenge

With its new vehicle generation, an OEM customer plans to gain access to vehicle data over the air (OTA) to connect this data to cloud-based solutions. For the OEM, this will serve as a long-lasting solution for (1) validating functions inside the vehicle, (2) continuously developing them further, and (3) transferring them back to the vehicle as updates.

After delivery to the end customer, the vehicles can thus be easily kept up to date without having to visit a workshop. This solution will also enable quick and simple integration of additional services – even from third parties – in the vehicle or allow these to be interconnected.

Solution

PANTARIS Connect from ETAS provides the OEM customer a complete solution that establishes a data transfer between the vehicle fleet and OEM backend (i.e., cloud) via an installed connectivity control unit and its integrated mobile data connection. PANTARIS Connect comprises the modules OTA Vehicle Data, OTA Function Calls, and OTA Updates.

OTA Updates can be used to transfer software update and upgrade packages to the vehicles. The campaign and fleet management integrated in this module can reflect the software and hardware status of the entire vehicle fleet and orchestrate rollouts even across large worldwide vehicle fleets.

OTA Vehicle Data provides the OEM customer with standardized access to data from the vehicles, for example, for diagnostic purposes or regarding the status of individual components. The OEM thus has flexible access to this data and can extract it via the ETAS service. Subsequently, the data will be evaluated and made available to the customer or vehicle owner as information paired with, for example, recommendations for workshop visits.

OTA Function Calls allows the OEM customer to execute predefined functions in the vehicles. This can either happen immediately – i.e., at the press of a button – or when specific conditions are met. This could be used for such things as starting diagnostic sequences or to define practical applications for the end customer, for example, opening and closing doors and windows or operating the air-conditioning system via a smartphone app.

Main facts at a glance

PANTARIS Connect represents a crucial step towards future viability and play an essential part in the implementation of “software-defined vehicle” architectures.
As at the end of 2022, PANTARIS Connect are already being used to great success in more than 30,000 vehicles in over 40 countries worldwide.
This solution allows the OEM to keep the software of vehicles up to date even after their official delivery to the customer as well as to connect additional services (including from third-party providers). The OEM can thus ensure the longevity of the product.
With its PANTARIS Connect, ETAS is following the established VSC and VSS standards of the Connected Vehicle System Alliance (COVESA).

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The PANTARIS Connect portfolio

OTA updates

With OTA updates, automotive manufacturers and service providers can perform vehicle software updates with maximum efficiency. Moreover, this service supports the global administration, monitoring, and documentation of the complete software and hardware as well as the configuration of individual vehicle functions. The OTA updates service also allows users to perform static and dynamic update campaigns so that updates can be rolled out to multiple vehicles or even entire fleets in an efficient, resource-saving manner. Thanks to the flexible structuring and simple inventory management (according to UNECE R 156), users can easily obtain a complete overview of all managed vehicles and their condition. This is supplemented with detailed documentation of the vehicle history and comprehensive end-to-end security using cutting-edge technology to safeguard the secure distribution of updates and protection of sensitive user data.

OTA vehicle data

The vehicle is a valuable source of data, which supports the targeted optimization of existing functions and services as well as the development of new products. OTA vehicle data uses standardized interfaces to provide highly efficient access to the vehicle data. To reduce the volume of data transmitted, the relevant datasets can be selected, preprocessed, and compressed in the vehicle. In addition, the processing of the collected information and its subsequent integration in third-party systems is facilitated by data management according to the VSS (vehicle signal specification) standard along with integrated tools for data evaluation and analysis.

OTA function calls

The OTA function calls service allows predefined functions to be controlled in the vehicle during operation (e.g., door unlocking) or diagnostic routines to be executed (e.g., reading a DTC), while also providing remote or app-based access to vehicle parameters (e.g., tank level). The function is activated in the cloud either on demand, on a time-controlled basis, or when specific conditions are met in the vehicle. A detailed response from the vehicle to the back end provides direct feedback about the result of an activity and allows the data to be included in subsequent processing, for example, to display a current vehicle status.

OTA connected vehicles

OTA connected vehicles offers service providers and developers all the necessary functions for secure and reliable bidirectional communication between the vehicle and cloud. The OTA connected vehicles service comprises everything from the creation and provisioning of individual connectivity devices to the establishment of a secure, highly scalable, and globally distributed messaging infrastructure for exchanging data between the vehicle and cloud. In this context, the integrated certificate and authorization management reliably secures the connection between the vehicle and the cloud and provides users with a simple and efficient means of accessing security-relevant vehicle information.