Driving Progress in Commercial and Fleet Vehicle Connectivity

The COVESA Commercial and Fleet Vehicle Group has been working diligently to advance open, interoperable specifications, technologies, and standards for various stakeholders interested in connected vehicle data. The focus is on creating consistent vehicle data interfaces, mapping real-world use cases, and bringing together stakeholders from OEMs, telematics providers, suppliers, insurance companies, and fleet operators. The goal is straightforward: to make it easier for systems to communicate with each other, foster innovation, and streamline telematics data for various industry verticals.

Key Deliverables and Achievements

Over the past few months, the group has delivered several important outputs, including refining a reference architecture and developing data models for commercial vehicle telemetry and diagnostics. A comprehensive use-case catalog has been assembled and prioritized, highlighting areas like preventive maintenance, remote diagnostics, safe driving, and fleet optimization. The group also created interoperability matrices to identify gaps between existing systems and our proposed standards. On the pilot side, early readiness efforts using simulated gateways and mock data are underway, ensuring our standards work in real-world scenarios. 

The group has an ongoing collaboration with the European heavy-duty truck manufacturers in ACEA, working to update its fleet management standard, porting it to COVESA’s Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) and utilizing COVESA’s Vehicle Information Signal Specification (VISS) to support an onboard environment.

Challenges We’re Tackling

Of course, no progress comes without hurdles. Commercial vehicles vary widely in connectivity and onboard systems, and telemetry data can be inconsistent. Aligning all stakeholders, OEMs, fleet operators, and service providers requires careful balancing. Plus, deploying pilots in real-world fleets adds complexity around safety, cybersecurity, and integration. The group is actively addressing these challenges to keep progress on track.

What’s Next

Looking ahead, the group is focused on finalizing the next release of its data collection guidelines for fleet and insurance, launching pilot projects with fleet partners, and providing reference API and tools to simplify adoption. The group will also expand the catalog of use cases to include areas like predictive maintenance and energy optimization if interested parties from those adjacent industry verticals follow the fleet and insurance examples. A formalized governance process will ensure updates remain backward-compatible and well-managed.

Why OEMs Should Adopt COVESA Commercial Vehicle Recommendations

The global vehicle telematics market is projected to reach USD 149.9 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 18.5%. This surge is driven by the increasing demand for connected vehicle services and advanced data analytics capabilities. Automotive OEMs stand at the forefront of this revolution, with a unique opportunity to redefine their market offerings through the adoption of industry specifications like VSS.

In today’s industry, flexibility and competitiveness are paramount. OEMs and fleet operators are moving away from vendor lock-in, seeking the freedom to choose and switch between service providers. This shift echoes the transformation Henry Ford brought to manufacturing nearly a century ago, standardizing processes to increase efficiency. Similarly, adopting VSS can standardize vehicle data, making it easier to share, integrate, and innovate across platforms.

While the initial focus is on fleet operational data, these guidelines are designed to extend to other sectors such as insurance, maintenance, and regulatory compliance. Fleet operators already rely on high-quality vehicle data to reduce CapEx and OpEx by optimizing maintenance, utilization, and operational decisions. By adopting VSS, OEMs can ensure that this data is not only standardized but also of higher quality and broader applicability.

Strategic Benefits of Fleet Data Recommendations

Prevent Proprietary Lock-ins – Standardizing vehicle data collection and cloud services foster a competitive market where innovation can flourish.

Streamline Operations – Much like the assembly line streamlined manufacturing, VSS enables a smooth, efficient flow of data across systems, reducing friction between vehicle, fleet, and service providers.

Reduce Costs – Standardization lowers production and integration costs, enabling OEMs, service providers, and fleet operators to allocate resources more effectively.

Increase Data Value – Offering standardized, high-quality data enhances its utility and market demand, creating new revenue and service opportunities for OEMs.

Build a Connected Vehicle Ecosystem – By adopting Fleet Data Recommendations, OEMs help establish a robust ecosystem where data is accessible, reliable, and ready to power services that meet evolving customer needs.

Positioning OEMs for the Future

Connected vehicles are rapidly becoming sophisticated information platforms. Standardization through fleet data recommendations ensures that OEMs position themselves at the forefront of this transformation. The flexibility built into these recommendations allows OEMs to respond quickly to market changes without costly re-architecture, enabling agility in a fast-evolving landscape.

Call to Action: Get Involved

We invite all COVESA members to get actively involved with the Commercial and Fleet Vehicle Expert Group. Review the Group Charter to understand the mission and focus areas, and consider introducing colleagues or partners who could contribute to this work. Your input is invaluable, whether it’s providing feedback on conventions, helping with prototyping, or promoting the group’s initiatives. There are many ways to participate: join our regular calls, comment on issues in GitHub, submit proposals or pull requests, and connect with the community on Slack. By contributing your expertise and insights, you can help shape the open interoperable technology, specifications, and tools that will drive the future of commercial vehicle connectivity.

We invite all COVESA members to get actively involved with the Commercial and Fleet Vehicle Expert Group. Review the Group Charter to understand the mission and focus areas, and consider introducing colleagues or partners who could contribute to this work. Your input is invaluable, whether it’s providing feedback on conventions, helping with prototyping, or promoting the group’s initiatives. There are many ways to participate: join our regular calls, comment on issues in GitHub, submit proposals or pull requests, and connect with the community on Slack. By contributing your expertise and insights, you can help shape the open interoperable technology, specifications, and tools that will drive the future of commercial vehicle connectivity.

Conclusion

The group’s work is laying the foundation for a more open, efficient, and innovative commercial vehicle ecosystem. By adopting fleet data recommendations, OEMs and fleet operators can reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and unlock the full value of connected vehicle data. For members, active participation ensures that the common approaches and technologies developed reflect the needs of the community, accelerating adoption and driving the next generation of fleet and commercial vehicle services.