Today , while exploring OPCUA LADS, which aims to standardize medical lab equipment communication, I realized how standardization unlocks simplicity, interoperability, and future readiness in industries. This led me to reflect on the automotive sector, especially vehicle-to-cloud (V2C) communication, which is often fragmented and proprietary, making innovation slower.

Why Standardization Matters in Auto-to-Cloud Communication

Modern vehicles generate massive amounts of data: speed, battery status, location, safety alerts, and more. However, how this data reaches the cloud is inconsistent across manufacturers, leading to:

Complex integrations for fleet operators.
Higher costs and delays for startups innovating on vehicle data.
Security issues due to inconsistent practices.

By creating common structures and payload standards, we can: Reduce complexity for developers and startups. Improve data security and reliability. Enable faster prototyping and innovation in vehicle telematics and diagnostics.

Enter OpenV2C: An Open, Lightweight Framework

Inspired by the simplicity of MQTT and the structure of OPCUA LADS, I developed the idea of OpenV2C (Open Vehicle-to-Cloud) https://www.academia.edu/130261151/OpenVehicle2Cloud_OpenV2C_A_Lightweight_Secure_MQTT_Based_Vehicle_to_Cloud_Communication_Standard :

Uses MQTT for lightweight, publish-subscribe-based messaging.
Uses structured topic naming (e.g., VIN/Telemetry/Vehicle/Speed) to maintain clarity.
Sends JSON payloads during development for easy debugging.
Switches to CBOR payloads in production to reduce bandwidth and CPU usage.
Aligns with Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) for signal consistency.
Designed to run even on small ECUs without requiring heavy processing power.

How It Works

A vehicle publishes data like speed or battery level to the MQTT broker:

Topic: VIN/Telemetry/Vehicle/Speed
Payload: { "value": 55.2, "unit": "km/h", "ts": 1756223456 }

Cloud or fleet systems subscribe to relevant topics, process the data, and can also send commands back to the vehicle:

Topic: VIN/Command/LockDoors
Payload: { "command": "LockDoors", "ts": 1756223456 }

Why This Matters

Lightweight: Works even on low-power ECUs.

Open: Avoids vendor lock-in and allows easier experimentation.

Secure: Uses TLS and can integrate with automotive security standards.

Future-Ready: Easy to extend for ADAS, EV monitoring, or driver behavior analytics.

What's Next

I am preparing a working prototype of OpenV2C as per the technical paper in academia. This will include:

A full mapping of over 80 vehicle signals.
Example payloads.
CBOR vs JSON comparisons for bandwidth efficiency.
Security and privacy considerations.

Final Thoughts

If you are working in automotive IoT, EV telematics, or connected vehicle systems, I invite you to explore this concept and contribute to building an open standard for vehicle-to-cloud communication.

If OPCUA LADS can simplify medical labs, OpenV2C can simplify vehicle data flows, making the ecosystem faster, more secure, and truly interoperable.

Want to collaborate or get early access to OpenV2C for testing? Let me know in the comments or reach out on Linkedin.

Let’s simplify vehicle-to-cloud communication together.

From OPCUA LADS to OpenV2C: A Simpler Way to Standardize Vehicle-to-Cloud Communication