CAN XL is a new standard that is in development by CAN in Automation (CiA), the not-for-profit association that maintains the CANopen and CANopen FD application layers. With the goal of extending CAN FD to handle extra large files (up to 2KB per data field) that are commonly encountered in applications such as radar, microphones, e-call and TCP/IP over CAN, CAN XL will offer net data rates up to 10Mbit/s, whilst maintaining the advantages of the CAN protocol, and of-course, interoperability with CAN and CAN FD.

Work began on the specification in December 2018. The CAN XL Special Interest Group (SIG), chaired by Dr. Arthur Mutter from Robert Bosch, has developed the standard over a series of meetings in which more than 40 people from automotive manufacturers, suppliers and semiconductor manufacturers participated. Kvaser’s research manager, Kent Lenartsson, is a member of the CAN XL working group.

The specification of the CAN XL protocol and physical layer by CiA’s CAN XL SIG is nearing completion. The next step will be to commence ISO standardization, which involves other CAN standards being updated to support CAN XL, including ISO16845, the CAN Conformance Test plan.

Upcoming presentations on CAN XL include Infineon’s Magnus-Maria Hell, Chairman of the CAN XL Physical Layer Dev Committee, who will be presenting a draft of the CAN XL physical layer at the 17^th International CAN Conference, in Baden Baden on March 17 & 18th, 2020.  CAN XL higher-layer functions will also be addressed in several papers.