Apparatus, system, and method for authentication of vehicular components

A method for authenticating components operably coupled to a vehicle, the method comprising:

• generating, by a vehicle controller, data indicative of an authentication seed;
• determining, by the vehicle controller, a valid manufacturer-specific authentication code based at least in part on the data indicative of the authentication seed and data indicative of a manufacturer-specific authentication string;
• transmitting via a communications interface communicably coupled to the vehicle controller, the data indicative of the authentication seed to a respective nontransitory storage media carried by each component included in a first plurality of components, the first plurality of components including a portable electrical power storage device;
• receiving authentication data returned by each of the components included in the first plurality of components, the authentication data generated at least in part using data indicative of the manufacturer-specific authentication string stored in a non-rewriteable portion of the nontransitory storage media carried by each respective component included in the first plurality of components and the data indicative of the authentication seed;
• and
• validating, by the vehicle controller, the authentication data returned by each of the components included in the first plurality of components using at least in part valid manufacturer-specific authentication code determined by the vehicle controller;
• at least partially inhibiting, by the vehicle controller, an operation of at least one vehicular system responsive to a failure to validate the authentication data received from at least one of the components included in the first plurality of components;
• responsive to receiving a request to enable vehicle operation, receiving data indicative of a vehicle-specific authentication code from a nontransitory storage media carried by each component included in a second plurality of components, the second plurality of components including the portable electrical power storage device and at least one component not included in the first plurality of components, the vehicle-specific authentication code stored in a selectively rewriteable portion of the nontransitory storage media carried by the portable electrical power storage device;
• validating, by the vehicle controller, at least a portion of the vehicle-specific authentication code received from each component included in the second plurality of components;
• and
• inhibiting, by the vehicle controller, operation of the vehicle responsive to an unsuccessful validation of the vehicle-specific authentication code received from at least one of the components included in the second plurality of components.

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a vehicular controller, cause the vehicular controller to:

• generate data indicative of an authentication seed;
• determine a valid manufacturer-specific authentication code based at least in part on data indicative of the authentication seed and data indicative of a manufacturer-specific authentication string;
• transmit data indicative of the authentication seed to a respective nontransitory storage media carried by each component included in a first plurality of components, the first plurality of components including a portable electrical power storage device;
• receive authentication data from each component included in the first plurality of components, the received authentication data generated by each respective component at least in part using data indicative of a manufacturer-specific authentication string stored in a non-rewriteable portion of the nontransitory storage media carried by the respective component and the data indicative of the received authentication seed;
• validate the authentication data provided by each of the components included in the first plurality of components using at least in part the valid manufacturer-specific authentication code determined by the vehicle controller;
• at least partially inhibit an operation of at least one vehicular system responsive to a failure to validate the authentication data received from at least one of the components included in the first plurality of components;
• responsive to the receipt of a request to enable vehicle operation, receive data indicative of a vehicle-specific authentication code from a nontransitory storage media carried by each component included in a second plurality of components, the second plurality of components including the portable electrical power storage device and at least one other component not included in the first plurality of components, the vehicle-specific authentication code stored in a selectively rewriteable portion of the nontransitory storage media carried by the portable electrical power storage device;
• validate at least a portion of the vehicle-specific authentication code received from each component included in the second plurality of components;
• and
• inhibit operation of the vehicle responsive to an unsuccessful validation of the vehicle-specific authentication code received from at least one of the components included in the second plurality of components.

A vehicle controller, comprising:

• at least one input to receive manufacturer-specific authentication data from each component included in a first plurality of components operably coupled to a vehicle, the first plurality of components including a portable electrical power storage device, the manufacturer-specific authentication data generated at least in part using data indicative of an authentication seed generated by the vehicle controller and data indicative of a manufacturer-specific authentication string stored in a non-rewriteable portion of a nontransitory storage media carried by each of the components included in the first plurality of components;
• a controller-readable nontransitory storage media communicably coupled to the vehicle controller, the controller-readable nontransitory storage media containing one or more sets of machine executable instructions that when executed by the vehicle controller, cause the vehicle controller to:
• determine a valid manufacturer-specific authentication code based at least in part on the data indicative of a valid manufacturer-specific authentication string stored in the controller-readable nontransitory storage media and the data indicative of the authentication seed;
• validate the manufacturer-specific authentication data provided by each of the components included in the first plurality of components using the valid manufacturer-specific authentication code determined by the vehicle controller;
• at least partially inhibit operation of at least one vehicular system responsive to an unsuccessful validation of the authentication data provided by at least one component included in the first plurality of components;
• responsive to the receipt of a request to enable vehicle operation, receive data indicative of a vehicle-specific authentication code from a nontransitory storage media carried by each component included in a second plurality of components, the second plurality of components including the portable electrical power storage device and at least one other component not included in the first plurality of components, the vehicle-specific authentication code stored in a selectively rewriteable portion of the nontransitory storage media carried by the portable electrical power storage device;
• validate at least a portion of the second authentication code received from each component included in the second plurality of components;
• and
• inhibit operation of the vehicle responsive to an unsuccessful validation of the second authentication code received from at least one of the components included in the second plurality of components.