Connectivity

On Sept. 15, Arm announced a new direction in its IP and technology portfolio to address the transformation of the automotive industry whose center of gravity is rapidly moving toward software, rather than hardware, components.

It appears evident that open-software platforms are of strategic import for the new mobility era. This role is evident not only from different bodies and companies investing in them, but also the effect on regional interests that are characterizing the automotive industry lately, with counterposing economic powers trying to dominate.

There has been industry chatter the adoption of Google operating systems is making the GENIVI Alliance unnecessary, but even Google sources say that’s not true.

Old-school gearheads who love talking about high-performance tires, fuel injectors and transmissions may cringe at the term, but there’s no turning back: The companies famous for making high-performance tires, fuel injectors and transmissions – Continental, Bosch and ZF – are talking about software now, as well as sexy terms such as “middleware.”

Across the automotive supply chain, software-defined vehicles appear to be following a clear path to future-proof architectures. Software architectures and standardized software platforms are fundamental to simplifying vehicle functional complexity while keeping up with the pace of technology and innovation, spanning from vehicle’s implementation to the back end and infrastructure digitalization.

At the recent International Mobility Show (IAA 2021) in Munich, Germany, Renault was quite vocal about its Renault Mégane E-Tech, which has adopted Android Automotive as the entire OS for the cockpit and head unit and is powered by “omni-present” Qualcomm SoCs. Just two week later, Honda announced as well to deploy Android Automotive in an “all-new” vehicle that will be launched along 2022, piling up to the list of adopters after Polestar, Volvo, and Renault. The following is a summary of my observations and a synthesis of the feedback I received.

Next-generation E/E architectures will create new business models for automakers and suppliers. But a Wards Intelligence survey shows few see themselves as pacesetters, and there’s some uncertainty about where the best monetization opportunities are. The massive change in operations, and the associated costs, will put constraints on the timeframe and depth of the changes in infrastructure and vehicle architectures that OEMs will be able to address.

“Cockpit of the future” stirs images of giant pillar-to-pillar screens and lavish immersive user experiences. Those are coming in ultra-premium luxury EVs as soon as this year, but in the world of high-volume personal vehicles and commercial trucks, there will be many different cockpits of the future, delineated by purpose, segments and price. Many won’t have screens at all; they will be BYOD (Bring Your Own Device).

A consequence of a software defined environment, driven by data, is that process digitalization and model engineering are becoming essential assets at various levels in the automotive industry: from the vehicles to OEMs´ back-end and the mobility infrastructure.

 A look at the evolution to the software-defined vehicle and its impact on electrical/electronic architectures.

Lately, cybersecurity has dramatically grown in importance in the automotive industry, although in Wards´ opinion it has not been properly addressed yet. In the past 5 years, the several “accidents,” where hackers have been able to take full, or partial, control of vehicles´ functions, are an evident and worrying indicator.

Glenn Sanders, Principal Analyst-Autonomous Vehicles at Wards Intelligence, will cut through the hype on where the industry stands with autonomous-vehicle development and the likely path ahead for commercialization, and Luca DeAmbroggi, Chief Analyst-Technologies and E/E Architectures at Wards Intelligence will discuss the transformation to the Software Defined Vehicle that’s required to make it all happen.

The adoption of new ADAS – and ultimately fully autonomous – features is requiring faster communication between sensors, GPS and the cloud, driving automakers toward 5G communication. Upcoming BEVs, many incorporating all-new software-defined electronics architectures, are at the forefront of the transition.