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Software Defined Vehicle Software Defined Vehicle

Software Turns the Car Into a Mobility Platform

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The software-defined vehicle is ready to go. What are the advantages of a vehicle whose functions are specified by software? Who uses it? And what is ZF's share?
Andreas Neemann,
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Andreas Neemann wrote his first ZF text in 2001 about 6HP transmissions. Since then, the automotive writer has filled many publications for internal and external readers, showcasing his passion for the Group's more complex subjects.
Here are some figures to show how the importance of software for the automotive industry has increased sharply in recent years: Ten years ago, all electronic control units of a compact-class vehicle comprised ten million lines of software code. In current models, this figure has reached 100 million lines of code, while luxury vehicles boast as many as 150 million.

One of the factors behind the increasing share of software in the vehicle are changes in end customers' expectations for future passenger cars. Drivers want to use additional and assistance functions differently: with flexible activation and paying when needed, immediately and without having to drive to a workshop. They want access to the apps on their own smartphones seamlessly, even in the car; or they no longer want to own vehicles themselves, but rather book them at short notice via mobility apps. The software-defined vehicle (SDV) is the answer to many of these wishes for the future.

More Computing Power – New Electronics Architectures

More Computing Power – New Electronics Architectures

It's more than a future trend. It's already become a reality in the development departments of manufacturers and their technology suppliers, including ZF. This has a specific technical background: "Modern passenger cars can access tremendous computing power – so-called high-performance computers," explains Dr. Dirk Walliser, Senior Vice President Corporate R&D, Innovation & Technology and Digital Products & Services at ZF. "This in turn makes new electronics architectures possible: More complex software can control, coordinate and connect multiple systems." This means that, in the future, software will play a much bigger role in determining what a car can do. The hardware, i.e., actuators such as steering and braking, is already digitally controllable today – not least thanks to intelligent steer-by-wire systems from ZF.
10
times more software code is what current compact class vehicles have compared to their predecessor models ten years ago.

This is a technical revolution compared to the previous approach: With the old approach, the engineers started with the hardware. What properties did the engine, transmission, chassis, damping or steering system offer and which vehicle characteristics could be made of them? All systems have been digitally controllable for a while now and assistance systems have also been available – such as the ESP anti-skid brake, which applied braking to individual wheels depending on the driving situation. Each system and component had its own electronic control units (ECUs). Automotive manufacturers integrated these into the vehicle via the CAN bus. However, this "signal-based electronics architecture" – owing the name to the fact that each control unit permanently transmitted signals to "its" hardware – became increasingly complex. Especially when the objective was to achieve additional safety advantages in critical driving situations by networking different systems. This is precisely the future of mobility, because powerful assistance systems and highly automated driving make driving safer and more comfortable.
Dr. Dirk Walliser on the "Software first, digital always" approach.

New ZF Service Portfolio

New ZF Service Portfolio

"We have adapted our service and product range to the new electronics architectures," explains Christoph Elbers, Vice President Car Chassis Technology at ZF. "On the one hand, we offer high-performance computers ourselves, while on the other hand, with our complete product portfolio for longitudinal, transverse, and vertical dynamics and our intelligent components, we utilize our networked and digital know-how in such a way that we integrate functions on them or make them available independently as a software product."

With the possibilities of the new electronics architecture, the software-defined car is being developed in a completely different way: "It is being rethought from top to bottom," explains André Engelke, Head of the Vehicle Motion Control System House at ZF. "The engineers first consider which functions or driving characteristics the vehicle should have. Only then do they decide which sensors, computers or intelligent actuators in the vehicle can implement the corresponding commands." ZF is a pioneer in this respect as well. With cubiX, the Group has developed a control software that networks and coordinates all active and semi-active chassis actuators as well as the electric drive with a control algorithm. "cubiX does not care if an actuator comes from ZF or not. Since we have the know-how for all actuators – from brakes to steering systems to damping – we can develop functions that increase the comfort, driving dynamics and safety. Our software then implements this with the actuators that the OEM has in the vehicle – all through standardized interfaces," explains Engelke.
"The software-defined car is rethought from the end: The engineers start with the functions and only then decide how they are implemented. Ever larger functional components are determined by the software."
Dr. Dirk Walliser, Senior Vice President Corporate R&D, Innovation & Technology and Digital Products & Services at ZF

More Range in the Electric Vehicle

More Range in the Electric Vehicle

And many people benefit from cubiX: Car manufacturers can significantly reduce the adjustment and application effort for their various models. And drivers enjoy more driving dynamics, more ride comfort, more safety and efficiency – everything that the software-defined vehicle stands for. More efficiency – this makes it clear how versatile cubiX is.

It also plays a role in electric mobility and can increase the range of electric vehicles because the brake, an essential Vehicle Motion Control actuator, is also responsible for the recuperation phases of electric vehicles. If the control software decides to recuperate frequently, the battery recharges.

cubiX is not a dream of the future. cubiX is an example of software as a product. ZF launched its volume production in China in 2022. More car manufacturers will follow, because ZF is currently modularly tailoring the software package to the different needs of its customers.

Perspective: New Mobility

Perspective: New Mobility

The software-defined vehicle meets the mobility needs of future generations. This does not end with the possibility of retrofitting your passenger car with attractive assistance functions. Since the software-defined vehicle is basically networked with other vehicles and the infrastructure, it can make traffic even safer as a whole: It can warn all road users of black ice or oil slicks, predict traffic jams, or perceive potential danger much earlier than people could. The new computing power also brings AI algorithms into the vehicle, which form the basis for highly automated and autonomous driving. New business models and use cases will also be possible. This is where it's no longer about owning a personal vehicle, but about access to mobility. After all, the autonomous transport systems that ZF offers to relieve urban traffic are the best example of software-defined vehicles.