OpenVehicle2Cloud (OpenV2C): A Lightweight Secure MQTT-Based Vehicle-to-Cloud Communication Standard

OpenVehicle2Cloud (OpenV2C) is a proposed open standard for vehicle-to-cloud (V2C) communication, leveraging the MQTT protocol to enable lightweight, secure data exchange between in-vehicle systems and cloud platforms. This white paper outlines the motivation for standardizing V2C communication in the automotive industry, describes the OpenV2C architecture (vehicle-side agent, MQTT broker, and cloud receiver components), and details how its design aligns with stringent automotive security standards (ISO/SAE 21434 and UNECE WP.29) and privacy regulations. We discuss how OpenV2C addresses the performance constraints of resource-limited Electronic Control Units (ECUs) and uses the Vehicle Signal Specification (VSS) for standardized data modeling. The paper also covers extensibility for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to add custom signals cleanly, integration opportunities with initiatives like Eclipse SDV and COVESA, cloud platforms (AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, Eclipse Hono), deployment considerations, and the future roadmap for community-driven development. The goal is to present a technically sound, secure, and interoperable V2C framework suitable for broad industry adoption.