German automotive technology group Continental has published a white paper showing how vehicles could in the future become versatile platforms for intelligent software, including for real-time traffic management.

The focus of the “Mobility applications for software-defined vehicles – an approach based on verifiable credentials” white paper is about so-called verifiable credentials, which are regarded as a key technology for greater security and data protection in connected mobility applications.

Continental outlines a practical approach for how verifiable credentials can enable trustworthy communication between vehicles, infrastructure and digital services, a crucial step on the path to secure, software-defined mobility of the future.

Verifiable credentials are a standard cryptographically secure format for digitally representing information – such as details about a vehicle or a user – enabling unique and trustworthy identification.

The white paper was created as part of the publicly funded cooperation project Gaia-X 4 Ageda, a subproject of Gaia-X 4 Future Mobility, in which Continental is taking a leading role with well-known partners from industry and research to address the central problems of increasing connectivity and digitalisation in the automotive sector.

Mobility applications are increasingly becoming a central component in meeting the mobility requirements of tomorrow. However, their integration in the vehicle, the necessary connection to an open ecosystem and the decentralised management of identities and data raises many questions. It is therefore necessary to create a framework that ensures both the seamless integration of new applications and compliance with strict security and data protection standards.

“Research by colleagues has shown that verifiable credentials are a promising approach for the secure use of mobility services in vehicles,” said Nino Romano, chief technology officer at Continental Automotive (www.continental-automotive.com). “They enable a high level of security and data protection when using software-defined vehicles as an execution platform for mobility services.”

Based on the results of the Gaia-X 4 Ageda project, the white paper outlines the necessary fundamentals and describes the key aspects of how the use of verifiable credentials provides an effective way to make access to vehicle data and functions secure and flexible.

The white paper underscores the importance of the developed framework for the mobility of the future. It makes clear that the concepts embedded within it are central to integration into modern, software-defined vehicle architectures.

“Software-defined vehicles as part of a cloud ecosystem are the key technology for future mobility concepts,” said Romano. “With a reliable and trustworthy digital framework, the vision can become reality.”

The white paper is now available for download here.