In-Vehicle Optical Communication Technology

In-vehicle optical communication technology is a communications technology that replaces traditional copper wiring with optical fibres to achieve ultra-high-speed in-cabin data transmission. Utilising light waves as information carriers and optical fibres as the transmission medium, it is widely regarded as a pivotal technology underpinning next-generation electrical and electronic (E/E) architectures for intelligent connected vehicles.

💡 Why is "Optical Fibre in Cars" Needed?

With the rapid advancement of vehicle intelligence, onboard data volumes are surging exponentially. Traditional copper cabling is now hitting physical limits in terms of bandwidth, weight, and interference resistance.

Bandwidth Bottlenecks: Data bandwidth demands for Level 3 autonomous driving are projected to jump from the current 10–50 Gbps to over 100 Gbps per vehicle. A single 4K display screen already demands over 10 Gbps, whereas the physical transmission ceiling of a single copper cable is only around 10 Gbps.
Electromagnetic Interference: The 800V high-voltage platforms in new energy vehicles generate intense electromagnetic fields that disrupt signals in copper cables. As an insulating medium, optical fibre is naturally immune to electromagnetic interference, ensuring absolute communication reliability for autonomous driving systems.
Lightweighting Demands: Optical fibre weighs just one-fifth of conventional copper cabling, offering significant weight savings that help extend electric driving range.

⚙️ Mainstream Technical Routes Compared

At present, in-vehicle optical communication is primarily split into two technical approaches, with players actively developing solutions both locally and globally:

Technical Route	Core Characteristics	Key Representatives
Optical Ethernet	Follows the IEEE 802.3cz automotive standard, supporting high-speed point-to-point transmission.	Heqian Technology, KD Semiconductor, Zhongji Innolight
Vehicle Passive Optical Network (V-PON)	Adapts Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) PON technology, supporting point-to-multipoint transmission with greater architectural flexibility.	CICT, FiberHome, ZTE

The broader industry consensus leans towards adopting a hybrid "optical fibre backbone + copper branch lines" architecture in the short term, rather than transitioning directly to an all-optical network overnight.

🚗 Key Application Scenarios

In-vehicle optical communication primarily tackles data transmission bottlenecks in high-bandwidth scenarios:

Sensor Interconnection for Autonomous Driving: Handles real-time transmission demands for massive data generated by multi-channel 8MP cameras and LiDAR sensors.
Central Computing Backbone Network: Serves as the primary high-speed data highway linking the central computing platform and zonal controllers.
Smart Cockpit: Powers multi-screen 4K/8K ultra-HD video playback and interactive displays.

📈 Industry Landscape & Trends

Commercial Deployment on the Horizon: 2026 is widely viewed as the breakout year for commercialisation of in-vehicle optical architectures. Changan Auto has already deployed a gigabit Ethernet backbone ring network on the Qiyuan E07, laying the groundwork for the shift towards optical communications.
Accelerated Supply Chain Rollout: The in-vehicle optical communication test bench jointly developed by Heqian Technology and Li Auto has completed A-sample delivery; FiberHome’s V-PON solution has clocked 40,000 kilometres of road testing on Dongfeng commercial vehicles; and the joint solution by JOYNEXT and Zhongji Innolight has made its debut at Volkswagen headquarters.
Maturing Industry Standards: The IEEE 802.3cz standard establishes an automotive-grade foundation for optical modules, while domestic working groups are also ramping up local standardisation efforts.

In-vehicle optical communication is shifting from technology validation to mass-market rollout, standing as a critical breakthrough to solve the "data deluge" challenge in next-generation smart vehicles.