Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/599934
Industry insider CHANGING LANES 18 DECEMBER 2015 // WWW.CHANGINGLANESDIGITAL.COM In the future, trucks will have an ever-increasing amount of options to connect to more than just their data. Remote updates will be possible for systems and components, from the onboard navigation systems in the cab to the firmware of the engine, transmission and more. Within a few years, truck engines could be updated in real time to have the optimal horsepower and other specs based on location. However, this connectivity expansion poses security risks. Car manufacturers already have had to address vulnerabilities in order to prevent hackers from gaining access and control over some vehicle functions. Trucks with valuable cargo in tow are a lucrative target for high-tech thieves. Organized crime rings already can jam the signals of GPS systems or "spoof" them to report false positions, says Guy Buesnel, a vulnerabilities expert for Spirent. Spoofing technology can make finding a stolen vehicle difficult, and as autonomous trucks hit the roads, savvy hackers might lead these trucks off route by tampering with GPS signals to confuse their onboard navigation systems. Anti-jamming and -spoofing applications will be needed to prevent this scenario, Buesnel says. Some cars already are being physically redesigned to reduce the impact of cyber-compromise, says Matt Carpenter, a vehicle security expert. Meanwhile, large trucks have been slower to adopt new whiz-bang technology such as infotainment systems, which gives them fewer dangerous attack vectors, Carpenter says. "The connectedness profile of trucks looks a bit different than most cars, so they may have a small buffer, which may provide them a little more time to address security issues," he says. What energy will power tomorrow's trucks? By Jack Roberts While there may never be a fuel as ideally suited to long-haul trucking as diesel, it's a sure bet that fleet managers of the future will have new power sources at their disposal – both on and off the road. "I think in the short and medium term that diesel is still going to be the predominant fuel," says Derek Rotz, with Daimler Trucks North America. "Even looking out to the next 20 or 30 years, you'll see some inroads with natural gas, but diesel will still be the main player. What may change is the composition of the diesel fuel. It may come from more bio sources as opposed to petroleum." Technology forecaster Paul Saffo sees the trend toward electric vehicles starting to influence truck design. "Think about diesel freight engines on railroad tracks," he says. "That's actually an electric vehicle. It gives you better torsion. The moment you have a robotically controlled vehicle, it's just a lot easier to get fine control if your propulsion system is also electric." Taking that trend toward hybrid electric systems also makes fuel cell technology