The Open Source Automotive Electronics Initiative exists for a single overarching goal: to eventually create a complete, standardized, unified electronics system to operate a modern automobile. Such a system will ideally be vehicle nonspecific, and thus can be implemented with minimal to no changes on any vehicle. The mark of success for the Initiative will be to provide replacement devices for each electronic control module in any modern vehicle of any type, and only require firmware updates as applicable and changes in the specific connections made to tie Initiative projects into vehicles.

Initiative projects are not necessarily limited to roadworthy automobiles - any powered conveyance could in theory be provided with an Initiative-designed system. For this reason, the OSAEI website includes project categories for watercraft and non-vehicle engine-powered devices.

 

The Initiative itself is an organization and non-profit corporation designed to...

• ...provide the infrastructure and tools for community-level organization and management of the individual projects that will combine to form the complete system;
• ...provide support services to assist in the construction of complete device designs through part procurement assistance and subsidized prototyping services;
• ...provide a mechanism whereby members of the community of contributors can themselves help steer the development of individual projects as well as the Initiative's overall goal as a whole;
• ...provide a common system for commercializing these projects and disbursing royalties to the individuals that contributed to each project, while allowing such commercialization to financially support the operation of the Initiative itself;
• ...connect its community of contributors to the various national and international bodies that determine the standards used by the industry by promoting active participation in the development process by representatives from standards bodies, and;
• ...act as a bridge between the open-source community and manufacturers, by promoting active participation in the development process from industry representatives.