The discontinuation of the Bosch CANplus vehicle communication interface (VCI),
in October of 2023, created a significant gap in crash data retrieval workflows
for many legacy vehicles that have not been transitioned to the newer CDR 900
VCI. A substantial portion of CDR-supported vehicles continue to rely on legacy
CANplus-based communications, including the majority of platforms from the
mid-1990s through the early 2010s as well as select late-model vehicles from
manufacturers such as Chevrolet that still require CANplus-compatible
communication for imaging of crash data.
This study evaluates a legacy-compatible VCI designed to operate within existing
Bosch CDR software, adapter, and cable infrastructures. Thirty controlled test
scenarios were performed across ten vehicle brands using airbag control modules
(ACMs), a powertrain control module (PCM), and selected modules that had
undergone prior chip-swap procedures. Test conditions included DLC imaging, DTM
imaging, and back-powering through the vehicle fuse box. Each module was imaged
using the discontinued Bosch CANplus VCI and the compatible Crash Pulse
Technologies Crash Data eXtractor (CDX) VCI under identical procedures, and the
resulting datasets were compared at the character level. All scenarios produced
complete and consistent outputs between devices, with differences limited to
expected non-critical data such as timestamps and user-entered comments. The
findings demonstrate that the evaluated VCI provides reliable and repeatable
crash data retrieval performance equivalent to the discontinued CANplus across
the legacy workflows tested. The validation framework aligns with accepted
reliability principles referenced in Daubert considerations and supports the use
of the CDX VCI in forensic crash investigations and related technical
applications.