Connected Vehicles Archives

Data Streaming in Automotive Industry with Apache Kafka and Flink for Connected Vehicles Cars using Shift Left Architecture Telemetry Signal Processing

1.2K views
9 minute read

Shift Left in Automotive: Real-Time Intelligence from Vehicle Telemetry with Data Streaming at Rivian

ByKai Waehner
16. January 2026

Rivian and Volkswagen, through their joint venture RV Tech, process high-frequency telemetry from connected vehicles using Apache Kafka and Apache Flink. With a shift left architecture and smart filtering, they reduced data volume by 88 percent and enabled over 250 downstream consumer applications to access curated data products. This blog explores how RV Tech transforms raw vehicle data into real-time intelligence, supporting use cases across engineering, operations, and customer experience.

Automotive Innovation with Data Streaming using Apache Kafka Flink Confluent at CARIAD Volkswagen Group VW

5.0K views
6 minute read

CARIAD’s Unified Data Platform: A Data Streaming Automotive Success Story Behind Volkswagen’s Software-Defined Vehicles

ByKai Waehner
24. November 2025

The automotive industry transforms rapidly. Cars are now software-defined vehicles (SDVs) that demand constant, real-time data flow. This post highlights the CARIAD success story inside the Volkswagen Group. CARIAD tackled data fragmentation. It built the Unified Data Ecosystem (UDE). Learn how Confluent’s data streaming platform, powered by Apache Kafka and Flink, serves as the central nervous system. This platform connects millions of vehicles and cloud services globally. The event-driven architecture helps CARIAD achieve faster development, meet compliance (like the EU Data Act), and reduce costs. The platform unlocks high-value use cases, such as predictive maintenance and AI-powered fleet management.

Connected Car Vehicle API and Data Streaming with Apache Kafka and Flink in the Automotive Industry

4.3K views
7 minute read

Streaming the Automotive Future: Real-Time Infrastructure for Vehicle Data

ByKai Waehner
1. September 2025

Connected vehicles are transforming the automotive industry into a software-driven, data-centric ecosystem. While APIs provide access to critical vehicle data, they fall short when it comes to real-time intelligence and scalability. This post explores how data streaming with Apache Kafka and Apache Flink turns raw API responses into reusable, governed data products that support real-time operations, analytics, and innovation. Learn how industry leaders are combining APIs and event streaming to build modern automotive platforms -where real-time data becomes a strategic asset.

Automotive and Manufacturing Landscape for Apache Kafka

7.7K views
8 minute read

Apache Kafka Landscape for Automotive and Manufacturing

ByKai Waehner
12. January 2022

Apache Kafka is the central nervous system of many applications in various areas related to the automotive and manufacturing industry for processing analytical and transactional data in motion across edge, hybrid, and multi-cloud deployments. This article explores the event streaming landscape for automotive including connected vehicles, smart manufacturing, supply chain optimization, aftersales, mobility services, and innovative new business models.

Apache Kafka in the Public Sector for Smart City Infrastructure

4.6K views
6 minute read

Apache Kafka in the Public Sector – Part 2: Smart City

ByKai Waehner
12. October 2021

The public sector includes many different areas. Some groups leverage cutting-edge technology, like military leverage. Others like the public administration are years or even decades behind. This blog series explores both edges to show how data in motion powered by Apache Kafka adds value for innovative new applications and modernizing legacy IT infrastructures. This is part 2: Use cases and architectures for a Smart City.

Apache Kafka in the Automotive Industry including Car Makers Tier 1 Suppliers Manufacturing Connected Cars Mobility Services Smart City

11.3K views
9 minute read

Real-World Deployments of Kafka in the Automotive Industry

ByKai Waehner
19. July 2021

Apache Kafka became the central nervous system of many applications in various different areas related to the automotive industry. This blog post explores various real-world deployments across several fields including connected vehicles, smart manufacturing, and innovative mobility services. Examples include car makers such as Audi, BMW, Porsche, and Tesla, plus a few mobility services such as Uber, Lyft, and Here Technologies.

MQTT and Kafka for Smart City and 5G Architectures

6.7K views
5 minute read

Apache Kafka and MQTT (Part 5 of 5) – Smart City and 5G

ByKai Waehner
29. March 2021

Apache Kafka and MQTT are a perfect combination for many IoT use cases. This blog series covers the pros and cons of both technologies. Various use cases across industries, including connected vehicles, manufacturing, mobility services, and smart city are explored. The examples use different architectures, including lightweight edge scenarios, hybrid integrations, and serverless cloud solutions. This post is part five: Smart City and 5G.