HORIBA MIRA INSIDE STORY
7 AUGUST 2019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 51
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Why did they want MIRA? They
wanted application experience
a
When in 2015 hackers demonstrated
they could remotely hijack a Jeep,
Chrysler recalled 1.4m cars and
p e o p l e wo ke u p to th e fa c t th a t
the more connected you make a
car, the more vulnerable it is, not
just to systems failure but also to
attack. If the throttle, transmission,
steering and brakes have elements of
electronic control and are connected
to a vehicle-wide CANBUS, they’revulnerable. When Charlize Theron
r e m o te l y co ntr o l s h u n d r e d s of c a r s i n
‘Fast & Furious 8’, it is, absurdly, one
of the more believable bits.
Horiba MIRA’s answer was
Vehicle Resilience, which now
employs 100 staff. “It’s important
to think outside the box with cyber
security,” says Vehicle Resilience
Technologies boss Anthony Martin.
Horiba MIRA leads the 5 Stars
project, alongside four other UK
companies. The intent is to become
a global leader in cyber security
and two other issues affecting evermore complex cars: electromagnetic
resistance and functional safety,
ensuring whatever kit is on a car
works as it should.
SECURING MOTORING’S FUTURE
Martin:^ thinking^
outside^ the^ boxAll angles of engine testin
g are (^) covered
MIRA’s
old control
tower is still there.
Horiba MIRA would like
to preserve and use it,
but it wasn’t built for
longevity and uses a
lot of asbestos.
On-site Technology
Institute is a seat of
automotive learning
Test cell pushes
engines to their
limits – and beyond
Emissions test cells
are worked almost
around the clock
Making connected cars
secure is a priority