Encryption key management systems for better cybersecurity within the EV ecosystem
As governments map out the eventual end of internal combustion engines, the sustained rate of electric vehicle (EV) adoption looks more like the first chapter in its story of market domination. In preparation of tomorrow’s pure EV landscape, new realities are taking shape, such as electric fleet management.
EV market accelerators
Electric vehicles accounted for 2% of global automobile sales in 2018 and 18% by 2023. Regardless of the policies or rate of change, the world’s most powerful economies share the vision of an EV future.
Dozens of countries around the world have already pledged to the 2040 ICE Ban Pledge, promising to get internal combustion engines (ICE) off of the roads by 2040. The US, as a whole, aims to hit 50% of EV sales shares by 2030. California’s requirements state that 2035 model automobiles should all achieve 100% zero emissions and qualify as clean plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles.
Global leaders hope that the transition to electric vehicles bring sustainability targets within reach. Growing consumer appetite stems partially from climate-friendly government policies that use incentives and penalties to push adoption:
- Tax credits & exemptions for consumers
- Reduced fees
- Manufacturer subsidies
- Standards & regulations
Improving EV usability plays a role too: development of EV infrastructure, ease of charging station usage, improved features and more.
But bumps have also rattled consumer confidence, something market policymakers seek to tackle quickly. Perceived threats, real or fiction, erode trust. Whether it’s the hundreds of hacked Teslas crashing into each other in post-apocalyptic thriller Leave the World Behind, or legitimate news about a passenger stuck in a malfunctioning robotaxi, smart cars invoke strong reactions in today’s popular culture.
As a result, EV cybersecurity mitigations, such as ISO 15118 related to vehicle-to-grid communication, must not only address existing and potential threats, but also quell consumer worries.
Systems for successful electric fleet management
Inevitably, these trends suggest the very real transition from ICE to EV fleets over the next 15 years, bringing entirely new priorities and risks. The management of electric fleets ups the stakes for fleet cybersecurity.
Organizations can already begin integrating systems that will support their higher-tech fleets of the future. While IoT devices and connected vehicles have dropped data management into the laps of OEMs, those data responsibilities will only increase as fleets become smarter, automated and electric.
The growing EV ecosystem, such as charging stations, bring extra layers of technology, device-to-device community and vehicle-to-grid communication that require significant protection, especially as they interact with tomorrow’s smart cities.
To ensure sufficient range limits, refined routes, optimal charging schedules and well-maintained batteries, EVs will rely on new strategies, such as battery swapping, and predictive maintenance enabled by embedded, connected systems. Smart charging systems, for example, will help avoid the costs associated with peak demand.
Managing a fleet of EVs involves a constellation of tools, platforms and systems, across multiple locations, all of which produce data that requires different levels of compliant protection. This often encompasses the tracking of carbon emissions and other ESG datapoints, audit response capabilities to demonstrate a track record of compliance, and real-time location monitoring.
Supporting EV fleet management with unified KMS
The adoption of a unified encryption key management system (KMS) has far-reaching positive impacts, many of which OEMs and large organizations are often unaware. Not only does it bring consistent security across factories, vehicles, clouds, databases and users, but it strengthens core businesses through operational efficiency, future resilience and better processes.
Keys&More, for example, lets multi-local, complex organizations ensure appropriate, uninterrupted security throughout their supply chains. Via one platform, it manages user access levels, differing regulatory obligations across markets and real-time cybersecurity insight. It lets a cybersecurity team alter its security policies, scale up, revoke access or launch emergency responses in an instant.
These examples convey the transformative effects that a strategic, customized KMS has on an organization:
- Easy scalability: Expand security, increase users, integrate new tools, etc. in one place, especially thanks to Keys&More’s hardware agnostic design
- Meet regulatory requirements: Gain the level of oversight needed to ensure proper mitigations
- Initiate emergency response: Pinpoint threats & deliver immediate action during times of crisis
- Maintain agility: Adapt to new cryptographic algorithms, technologies & regulations smoothly, quickly & ahead of the competition
- Efficiency & cost savings: Remove cybersecurity redundancies; manage the entire encryption key lifecycle in one place
Additionally, by partnering with Keys&More, organizations benefit from years of strategic insight to achieve the following:
- Secure OTA updates: Simplify identity verification & digital signatures
- Enhanced cybersecurity: Access customized encryption
- Optimal strategy: Conduct a thorough assessment of existing key materials & risks to develop a long-term solution
For organizations who adopt the right approach to fleet-wide security from the beginning, electric fleets bring incredible opportunities for sustainability, cost-cutting and efficiency.