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Is there a future for the MOST bus?

Is there a future for the MOST bus?

Interviews |
By eeNews Europe



eeNews Europe: Is the MOST technology included in all-new vehicle designs?

Dieter Seidl: Yes, of course. In the S-Class that was introduced last year, MOST was the network technology for the infotainment. Recently we rolled out the C-Class with MOST. We also announced publicly that we are committed to MOST. E-Class, SUVs as well the A and B compact class vehicles currently under development will come with MOST. It will also play a role in vehicle generations to come. It is a valid component of our networking concept, not just an option.

eeNews Europe: Does Daimler have a roadmap for the future development of MOST? If yes, how does it look like?

Seidl: The current generation is MOST150, which includes the capability of Ethernet integration. The Ethernet channel is already used in our systems since the introduction of the Mercedes S-Class last year.

In terms of further development, we are currently busy stabilising this version at the process level. The next steps will focus on cost-down optimisation. For future MOST generations we won’t support Gigabit versions.


eeNews Europe: Where is the "sweet spot" for future MOST applications?

Seidl: The sweet spot will not change much from what we already have implemented. MOST is extremely well suited for audio streaming and distributing audio data across the vehicle. In addition, we use it to interconnect the Head Unit with the Rear Seat Unit e.g. in our Mercedes S-Class with multi seat entertainment.

eeNews Europe: Are MOST and Ethernet head-on competitors in the automotive environment? Are there applications in which MOST beats Ethernet? Are there technologies in sight that could be regarded as an alternative to both?

Seidl: In terms of use cases, MOST and Ethernet are indeed competing head-on. If we manage to reduce the cost (for MOST), they also can compete in terms of pricing. But there are certain significant differences. Ethernet is an asynchronous technology, ideal for IP data transport. MOST, in contrast, is capable of handling real-time, synchronous data transport, for applications like time-critical data streaming. But you should not forget that MOST also has the capability to handle Ethernet data; it offers a valid virtual Ethernet channel for a data bandwidth up to 100 Mbps.

However, adopting the existing Ethernet software ecosystem in the automotive environment is challenging – in particular when it comes to avoiding latencies.

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