Autonomous Vehicles: Redefining Safety in the Automotive Industry

Point B welcomes, Najib El Ajjani, ISO 26262 functional safety expert and Head of Safety and Cybersecurity at Cubonic GmbH, to discuss road safety and the role autonomous vehicles will play in improving it. Take a drive with us as Najib outlines challenges automakers have faced, particularly in the EV and AV sectors, why EVs are better designed to support autonomous vehicle operations, and how to cover all levels of safety through testing and certification, OEM responsibility, and thinking ahead of industry standards. Don’t miss out on all this and more in this exciting episode of Point B!
Key Highlights:
1:14 CUBONIC’s mission and vehicles
2:45 CUBONIC’s safety-driven approach
5:45 Dealing with unavoidable accidents
7:03 Measures for success
8:07 Autonomous operation of CUBONIC vehicles
13:23 Connectivity as an enabler of AVs
Najib is the head of Safety and Cybersecurity at Cubonic GmbH, a startup based in Cologne, Germany with a mission to create the first integrated eLCV (electric Light Commercial Vehicle) enabling autonomous driving and connected ecosystems.
For the last 12 years, Najib has shaped his career working for automotive international OEMs and Tier1 suppliers. He started his mission within functional safety prior to the publication of the first safety standard release ISO 26262 in 2011. Eventually, he participated in the automotive industry’s preparation for the adoption of the new upcoming safety standard.
Throughout his career, he worked on challenging projects and advanced technologies creating safety concepts for cutting edge HW technologies and advanced SW platforms.
Najib has been actively contributing to the mobility transformation from its first applications of emission reduction solutions, e.g., stop and start, engine management systems, and post-treatment active regeneration for diesel and gasoline engines. Ultimately, accompanying the vehicle electrification from hybridization to full electrification.
During his career, Najib has always been passionate about actively contributing to shaping safe, secure, sustainable, and accessible mobility. During this path, he actively implemented multiple organizational changes to reach state-of-the-art safety compliance and organization awareness. This all, while working closely with board members and engineering teams.
He also took part in the ISO technical committee working group for Automotive Cybersecurity which is responsible for the ISO/SAE 21434 Cybersecurity Engineering standard definition.
Najib holds a B.A. in Electrical Engineering and an M.A. in Quality and Dependability Engineering from Polytech Engineering School in France.