12 October 2026 | Paris, France
On 12 October 2026, the European automotive community gathered at PFA in Paris for the event European Digital Vehicle of the Future Ecosystem & Presentation of the ECAVA Technology Roadmap. Bringing together representatives of the European Commission, automotive manufacturers, suppliers, research initiatives, and open-source communities, the event marked an important milestone in the transition from the FEDERATE project towards the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA).
The FEDERATE morning session of event welcomed 94 onsite participants, alongside with online participants, and featured 14 speakers delivering 10 presentations. Discussions focused on the progress achieved in establishing a collaborative European software-defined vehicle (SDV) ecosystem, the challenges facing Europe’s automotive industry, and the priorities for translating shared technological ambitions into industrial implementation.
Three years of FEDERATE: building the foundations for European Collaboration
The morning session reviewed FEDERATE’s achievements over its three-year duration and its contribution to strengthening Europe’s SDV ecosystem. Presented by Michael Paulweber from AVL, the project’s results demonstrated the value of bringing together industry stakeholders, publicly funded research projects, and open-source initiatives around a common European vision.
FEDERATE contributed to the development of the European SDV Vision and Manifesto, strengthened cooperation between industry associations and open-source communities, and supported the establishment of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Automotive Grade Open-Source Software Ecosystem. The initiative brought together more than 400 active ecosystem members and built a strong communication network, reaching over 1,300 LinkedIn followers.
Other important results included an SDV roadmap, a common layered architecture, an SDV glossary, and a Building Block Repository containing more than 100 descriptions of open-source building blocks. Through governance activities, technical coordination, and three annual European SDV Ecosystem Conferences, FEDERATE established mechanisms for continued knowledge exchange and collaboration across the European automotive landscape.
From Shared Vision to Industrial Implementation
A central message throughout the event was that Europe’s next challenge is to move from ecosystem building towards the large-scale industrial implementation of shared technologies.
Industry representatives highlighted persistent barriers, including fragmented development efforts, duplicated investments, rising software integration costs, and technological dependencies. Stronger coordination between vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, research projects, and open-source communities will be essential to address these challenges and accelerate innovation.
The presentations also underlined the strategic role of open-source software in developing common, interoperable, and reusable technological foundations. Initiatives such as Eclipse S-CORE demonstrate how collaborative development can reduce duplication and improve software reuse while supporting the quality, safety, and reliability requirements of the automotive industry.
However, successful implementation requires more than technological progress. Sustainable maintenance, certification, long-term investment, viable business models, and the commitment of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to adopt jointly developed technologies will be critical to achieving tangible industrial results.
ECAVA Technology Roadmap: a strategic direction for Europe
The afternoon session focused on the European Commission’s priorities for strengthening European automotive competitiveness and advancing the development of ECAVA.
Representatives of DG CNECT presented the policy context, including the Automotive Action Plan and the ECAVA SDV Technology Roadmap, which sets out the ambition of achieving an open, competitive, and deployable European software-defined vehicle ecosystem by 2030.
The discussions highlighted several priorities for the coming years: strengthening European technological sovereignty, accelerating the transition from research to deployment, aligning technical roadmaps and development timelines, and mobilising greater public and private investment. Particular attention was also given to autonomous driving, including the need for cross-industry data sharing, federated training approaches, and real-world testing environments.
A key takeaway was that Europe must accelerate innovation while maintaining the high standards of safety, quality, and reliability required by the automotive sector. More coordinated funding mechanisms, integration projects, and regulatory sandboxes could help bridge the gap between research results and market-ready technologies.
ECAVA: continuing and extending FEDERATE’s legacy
The event highlighted the importance of ensuring that the collaboration established through FEDERATE continues beyond the project’s lifetime. The transfer of the Sherpa governance group to ECAVA represents an important step towards maintaining the coordination and stakeholder engagement mechanisms developed during the project.
Building on FEDERATE’s achievements, ECAVA will focus on advancing the European SDV ecosystem towards broader industrial adoption and implementation. Its success will depend on continued collaboration between industry, research initiatives, open-source communities, and European institutions, supported by sustainable governance and investment.
Ultimately, the event reaffirmed that Europe’s competitiveness in software-defined and autonomous vehicles will depend not only on technological capabilities, but also on its ability to collaborate effectively, reduce fragmentation, and bring jointly developed solutions into real vehicles and industrial applications.
While FEDERATE has helped establish the foundations for a collaborative European SDV ecosystem – ECAVA represents the next step – turning this shared vision into coordinated action, industrial deployment, and lasting value for Europe’s automotive industry.
Explore the event photos: Visit the FEDERATE Dissemination page to view highlights from the event.
