Automakers are developing one of the largest public key infrastructure security systems ever conceived, the heart of an effort to protect a new generation of networked vehicles that is expected to hit the mass market by the early 2020s.

Source: blogs.wsj.com

This is a problem the automakers and NHTSA + DOT + DOD funding has been investing in for over a decade. The security concerns over “connected cars” that do more than entertainment is obvious. For the solution we are now focused on PKI, which is not absolutely secure, but the best we have. One issue is the need for connectivity to the internet 12 times an hour to get a new security key, among others that have been published. If these problems can be solved, the Connected Vehicle (implies the safety focus) will generate billions in revenue for the US economy, thus the continued push.