The Silent Software Inside Every Car:

In the last decade, vehicles whether electric or internal combustion stopped being purely mechanical machines. They’ve quietly become networked, software-driven computing platforms on wheels.

A modern EV or ICE vehicle now contains:

• 50–150 ECUs

• Dozens of CAN/LIN networks

• GPS, LTE, and BLE modules

• Cloud telemetry connections

• OTA update systems

• ADAS cameras and sensors

• Battery management controllers

• Motor inverters with independent firmware

Yet, here’s the irony: Most fleet operators, EV businesses, garages, and service companies still lack access to this real-time data.

They can’t see predictive failures, battery degradation, or driver behavior patterns even though each vehicle streams hundreds of live parameters per second.

This is where open automotive diagnostics and telematics tools are transforming industries empowering startups and enterprises alike with the same data capabilities once reserved for OEMs.

Why Diagnostics & Telematics Matter Today

Because uptime equals revenue. Because EV batteries can fail silently. Because every idle minute burns profit. Because vehicles can’t be optimized if they can’t be measured.

Companies across:

• Logistics and last-mile delivery

• EV fleets and charging operators

• Rideshare and rental mobility

• Construction and mining equipment

• Smart city transport and municipal vehicles are realizing that diagnostics isn’t just a “garage tool” it’s the foundation of connected business intelligence.

1️ Accessing Vehicle Data: The Open Telematics Toolkit

Many assume telematics and diagnostics require expensive proprietary software. Not anymore.

With open-source tools and simple hardware, any engineering team can access ECU data, log CAN messages, and build analytics pipelines.

Free and open tools include:

• SavvyCAN – CAN sniffing, replay, DBC decoding, and firmware reverse engineering.

• socketCAN – Linux-native CAN stack ideal for fleet IoT gateways.

• python-can – Python-based ECU communication for diagnostics, PIDs, and automation.

• cangaroo – GUI-based CAN analyzer.

• OBD-II Python tools – Read RPM, fuel trims, engine load, and more.

With these, startups can build custom telematics or diagnostics systems — without paying recurring license fees.

This represents true IoT product engineering freedom.

2️ Reverse Engineering Vehicle Data: Unlocking Hidden Insights

Automakers rarely disclose full ECU data. Most signals are undocumented — yet critical for analytics.

With open-source reverse engineering tools, startups can decode hidden frames for:

• Battery health analytics

• Driver behavior metrics

• Insurance risk scoring

• Real-time SOC for EVs

• Pollution and idle-time monitoring

• Predictive maintenance alerts

Key tools:

• Kayak – Live CAN monitoring and DBC editing

• CANalyze, CANard – ECU fuzzing and scriptable diagnostics

• CANtact – Open-hardware CAN interface

This is how modern AI-powered embedded systems enable independent telematics, vehicle health monitoring, and smart city mobility without OEM lock-in.

3️ From Raw Data to Dashboards: The Open Telematics Stack

Once data is captured, it needs visualization.

Open-source software enables real-time dashboards and analytics without vendor costs:

• Traccar – Full-featured fleet tracking platform supporting 2000+ GPS devices.

• OwnTracks + MQTT – Lightweight personal/fleet tracking.

• OpenStreetMap – Free geospatial mapping layer.

• InfluxDB + Grafana – Visualization for fuel, SOC, and power trends.

Together, these tools deliver:

• Live vehicle tracking and geofencing

• Theft detection

• Route optimization

• Maintenance reminders

• EV charging analytics

This stack forms the backbone of digital transformation for infrastructure — where fleets evolve into connected, data-driven assets.

4️ Building Your Own Automotive Gateway Hardware

Hardware is no longer a barrier. Thanks to open hardware ecosystems, anyone can now prototype their own fleet gateway or diagnostic logger.

Examples include:

• Raspberry Pi + CAN HAT → Affordable fleet gateway

• ESP32 + CAN → BLE + CAN low-cost data logger

• OpenXC Hardware → Automotive-grade CAN interface

• Arduino OBD-II Kits → Prototyping and testing

These devices can:

• Capture CAN, GPS, accelerometer, and BMS data

• Push logs to cloud dashboards

• Run ML models on the edge

• Support OTA updates

• Send predictive maintenance alerts

This is the essence of Edge AI embedded systems in mobility — intelligence at the vehicle, not just in the cloud.

5️ V2X and Smart Infrastructure: The Future of Automotive Connectivity

The next frontier in engineering services for smart cities is V2X communication — vehicles that talk to infrastructure, pedestrians, and other vehicles.

Open projects advancing this space:

• OpenC2X – DSRC ITS-G5 V2X stack

• Vanetza – ETSI ITS communication implementation

• C-V2X research PHY/MAC simulators

This technology underpins smart pole technology, adaptive traffic systems, and AI for smart infrastructure, enabling safer, smarter urban mobility.

6️ From Telematics to Business Intelligence

With open diagnostics, companies can now launch products like:

• Fleet management SaaS platforms

• EV battery analytics and health monitoring systems

• Predictive maintenance dashboards

• GPS + driving safety trackers

• Insurance telematics systems

• Smart rental or leasing platforms

• Vehicle diagnostics and service center tools

• Mining and industrial equipment telemetry

All without spending ₹30–₹60 lakh annually on proprietary licenses.

This is Industrial IoT and automation meeting real-world mobility.

Where EurthTech Fits In

At EurthTech, we help businesses turn vehicle data into competitive advantage.

We build:

• Custom vehicle data loggers and CAN gateways

• EV fleet & charging analytics platforms

• Predictive fault detection using AI and edge computing

• Driver scoring engines for insurance telematics

• Secure OTA gateways for vehicle firmware

• Custom dashboards using InfluxDB, Grafana, and Traccar

• ECU reverse engineering and custom firmware development

From concept → prototype → production hardware → scalable cloud integration — we deliver end-to-end embedded product design and IoT & embedded services in India trusted by smart city technology partners across industries.

Because in connected mobility, the future belongs to those who own their data — not rent it.

Need expert guidance for your next engineering challenge?

Connect with us today — we offer a complimentary first consultation to help you move forward with clarity.

Contact us