<P> A Controller Area Network (CAN bus) is a robust vehicle bus standard designed to allow microcontrollers and devices to communicate with each other in applications without a host computer . It is a message - based protocol, designed originally for multiplex electrical wiring within automobiles to save on copper, but is also used in many other contexts . </P> <P> Development of the CAN bus started in 1983 at Robert Bosch GmbH . The protocol was officially released in 1986 at the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) conference in Detroit, Michigan . The first CAN controller chips, produced by Intel and Philips, came on the market in 1987 . Released in 1991 the Mercedes - Benz W140 was the first production vehicle to feature a CAN - based multiplex wiring system . </P>

What is a can bus on a car