Post-Quantum Ready: Why Europe's Connected Vehicles Need Future-Proof Encryption Today

Vehicles being developed today could still be operating in 2045. But will their cryptographic security withstand the challenges of the quantum era? At a roundtable in Brussels ahead of Global Encryption Day 2026, eco brought together European policymakers, industry representatives and cybersecurity experts to discuss how connected and autonomous mobility can prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

As vehicles become increasingly software-defined, connected and autonomous, cybersecurity is evolving from a technical requirement into a fundamental prerequisite for safe and trustworthy mobility.

The hybrid roundtable "Post-Quantum Ready - Securing Encryption for Connected Mobility", organised by eco's Mobility Competence Group and Quantum Initiative on 14 October 2026, explored the implications of this transformation for European industry, digital infrastructure and cybersecurity policy.

The event featured contributions from Alessia Bizzarri and Stefan Bogensberger of the European Commission's DG CONNECT, as well as Matthias Reidans.

Long vehicle lifecycles meet the quantum challenge

One central challenge is the exceptionally long lifecycle of automotive systems.

Vehicles entering the market in the coming years may remain operational well into the 2040s, when advances in quantum computing could fundamentally change the security assumptions underlying widely used public-key cryptography.

This creates particular challenges for software updates, digital identities, vehicle authentication and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications.

In safety-critical applications, the transition is not straightforward. Post-quantum digital signatures can be considerably larger than conventional signatures, creating additional bandwidth and performance requirements. Hybrid cryptographic approaches and crypto-agile architectures therefore emerged as important considerations for future connected mobility systems.

European technological sovereignty and supply-chain security

The discussion also highlighted Europe's dependence on international technology providers across automotive software, semiconductors, cloud infrastructure and autonomous-driving systems.

These dependencies are relevant not only to industrial competitiveness but also to the ability to introduce security updates and maintain trustworthy systems throughout their operational lifetime.

European initiatives such as the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA) seek to strengthen cooperation on software-defined vehicles, automotive hardware, artificial intelligence and autonomous-driving deployment.

A key consideration is how cybersecurity can be integrated into technology development from the outset, rather than addressed only during final compliance assessments.

From European PQC roadmaps to practical migration

The European approach emphasises coordinated, risk-based migration. Under the EU's post-quantum transition roadmap, high-risk use cases are prioritised for migration by 2030, rather than requiring all systems to migrate simultaneously. For businesses, this means that preparation needs to start well before new cryptographic mechanisms are deployed.

The roundtable highlighted the importance of detailed cryptographic inventories covering hardware, firmware, software, interfaces and third-party dependencies. These inventories provide the foundation for assessing risks, developing migration plans and maintaining crypto agility.

Participants also discussed the need for practical guidance, greater awareness among smaller companies and coordination between manufacturers, suppliers, policymakers and standards organisations.

Preparing today for secure mobility tomorrow

The discussions underscored that post-quantum readiness is not achieved through a simple replacement of encryption algorithms. It requires a sustained transformation of security architectures, procurement practices and supply-chain coordination.

For Europe's connected mobility ecosystem, the priority is clear: identify critical cryptographic dependencies, assess long-term risks and integrate the ability to adapt cryptographic systems into future vehicle architectures.

Through its work on quantum technologies, cybersecurity, IoT and mobility, eco continues to facilitate dialogue between industry, policymakers and the technical community on building secure and resilient digital infrastructures.

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