New reference package for Android in connected car development

Renesas Electronics has announced the availability of the R-Car reference package for Android for their R-Car automotive SoCs. This package supports Android 8.0, the latest OS announced by Google. Android 8.0 is the first version of the OS to include support for functions required in automotive systems. The combination of this OS with the company’s robust and highly secure automotive SoC simplifies development of automotive Android platforms. The reference package for Android comprises the R-Car reference board and an extension board as hardware environment, and the BSP as software support. The reference package lowers barrier of entry to the automotive market for software developers who have no experience with automotive systems, while software developers without Android development experience can take advantage of Android's powerful ecosystem and existing application resources when using the reference package.