Increasing reliance
Software has become an inextricable aspect of modern life and is found in every sector of the business environment. Today, the automotive industry is witnessing immense transformation thanks to the deepening use of and reliance upon, software innovation. This represents the most significant step towards the introduction of the software-defined vehicle (SDV).
A software-defined vehicle is the product of the increased influence of software from concept to design to development stretching into production over the whole vehicle lifecycle. The transformation to full- scale SDV development allows for the maximum possible decoupling of the software within the vehicle from the hardware, resulting in longer and more efficient vehicle lifecycles.
In addition, SDVs offer significant improvements to safety, security, efficiency, entertainment, and convenience. As consumers demand more personalization, connectivity, and other software-defined features, automakers, suppliers, and new industry players must commit to extensive industry-specific and non-specific collaboration.
Shifting mindset
Traditionally, vehicle software-related issues were frequently an afterthought in the design process. This approach has been upended by the SDV. Mobility solutions today demand software must be at the core of any design since the choice and quality of the software determines value over the vehicle’s entire life cycle. It is important to bring a mindset of flipping the vehicle creation blueprint upside down to ensure software comes “first” in the basic vehicle creation building block.
Increasing complexity
Since SDVs already include over 100 million lines of code, it is imperative that ECUs develop greater power and adaptability as vehicle software complexity increases. The development of ECUs with advanced data processing and software integration capabilities will continue to be crucial to the development and further adoption of SDVs.
As referenced above, over-the-air updates (OTA) also represent an important advantage of SDVs harboring much promise for the future. They enhance the general operation and performance of vehicle software by addressing errors, adding new features, and more. OTA technology gold-plates the user experience while reducing the cost and time of manual upgrades thus helping automakers stay competitive. OTA updates also play an active role in promoting car safety by fixing software flaws once identified.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity impacts every component of an SDV, so it is important to remain focused on this aspect. Connected vehicles are at constant risk from intrusions and other nefarious threats. The software in an SDV controls critical functions such as steering, braking, and other vehicle operations. The results of cyber attacks can be catastrophic ranging from simple to data theft to road traffic accidents.
Robust authentication, encryption, firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and routine software updates must be implemented as solid cyber security measures to protect against such threats on an ongoing basis.
India’s role
To achieve robust and customer-oriented functionality, SDVs require more complex software and high-performance networking solutions. Though India is relatively new to the connected mobility and SDV market, it is well-positioned to make a significant impact in the sector given the abundance of software talent available nationally. Producing EVs and highly automated vehicles at scale requires high-performance-computing (HPC)-based vehicle architectures that can be produced at high volume and at “acceptable” price levels. These are advanced, highly complex systems and many vehicle makers will be rolling out the next generation of advanced architectures from 2024/ 25. Significantly while advances have been impressive, many platforms currently on the road are not advanced enough to benefit from the connected compute and seamless OTA that SDVs will require. India’s talent pool is readily available, and easily deployable for a variety of intricate software projects. At the same time, the demand for software-related expertise from both conventional and unconventional OEMs is increasing exponentially.
To sum up
The mobility sector has seen a remarkable transformation toward increased automation and virtualization thanks to SDVs. By leveraging cutting-edge software and processing power, SDVs improve safety and maximize performance providing novel and engaging features for both drivers and passengers.
Cybersecurity and data privacy remain significant concerns for SDVs simply based on their nature. Nevertheless, we can look forward to seeing more advanced and connected vehicles delivering safer, more economical, and more pleasurable driving experiences.