By Steven Scheer
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – C2A Security will supply a cybersecurity platform to Daimler Trucks, the Israeli start-up said on Thursday, marking its latest deal with automakers facing strict European regulations.
The contract for its EVSec platform was signed in 2023 but C2A has now made it public.
It also inked deals for the platform with other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) last year, including with BMW Group, Marelli, NTT Data, Siemens and Valeo.
Vehicles increasingly rely on dozens of computers that connect to each other as well as the internet, mobile networks and Bluetooth communications systems that make them vulnerable to remote hacks.
Jerusalem-based C2A, founded in 2016, did not disclose the value of the Daimler deal but CEO Roy Fridman told Reuters it was “one of the most significant product security deals that was done in the industry”.
As part of the deal, Daimler Trucks will use the EVSec platform – which automates cybersecurity and allows companies to comply with regulations efficiently and cost-effectively – across all eight of the company’s trucks and bus brands.
Sales of the German truck maker grew by 1% in 2023 to 526,053 units.
Under a United Nations regulation set to come into full effect in July, automakers must implement a cybersecurity management system (CSMS) “to guarantee vehicle safety and data protection through rigorous cybersecurity measures.”
“This year I see at least two additional significant deals with OEMs, big automakers,” Fridman said.
The new rules may force some automakers to discontinue some older combustion engined models rather than invest in upgrading them to meet the new regulations which will also extend to China and other countries.
Porsche has said it plans to halt sales of its gasoline-powered SUV Macan model in Europe this spring.
“We think … we will convince our customers with the new electric Macan,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said this month.
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt and Joe White in Detroit; editing by Jason Neely)
