Software-defined vehicles and vehicle configuration management

The automotive industry is undergoing a massive transformation, with software taking the driver’s seat and reconfiguring the traditional automotive value chains. In this chat with Shivalik Prasad – VP of Strategic Alliances & Sales at Sibros, we discuss the increasing role of software in modern-day vehicles and its impact on the automotive ecosystem.

What services does Sibros offer to the automakers?

We are purely an automotive software platform that provides a software abstraction layer on any vehicle’s electrical architecture. We deploy firmware on vehicles’ Primary ECUs, such as telematics or gateway. We are able to harmonize all of the data flowing in and out of the vehicle. We can log all the CAN and non-CAN traffic existing inside a vehicle, which allows you to diagnose & predict things, see driver behaviour and enhance vehicle safety. You are also able to send remote commands and perform a full vehicle software update for all the ECUs. The solution works across all mobility platforms.

Who are some of the leading automakers deploying your solutions?

Globally, we are working with many OEMs predominantly in the US, UK, Europe, India and Southeast Asia. We are also entering the China and Japan market later this year.

In India, we are working with Bajaj for their electric vehicle platform Chetak. We are powering them with this harmonization software, configuration and OTA (over-the-air) update software. We also signed up with Mahindra recently. In addition, we are working with some German companies and a leading luxury OEM in the UK. We are deeply engaged with one of the big three automakers in Detroit to power their data collection systems. We are also working with many younger companies, such as Sono Motors.

Can you give us some examples of the use cases served by these solutions?

There are varied use cases across vehicle segments. For a two-wheeler, the OEM would like to know how the vehicle is vibrating above the speed of 100 km/h. While driving on a curve, what is the angle from the perpendicular so we know how low can the vehicle go based on the weight of the bike? For an EV, you would like to know how the battery’s behaving if the ambient temperature goes above 45 degrees Celsius. From a consumer perspective, I would like to know how many times did I use the brake or my driving pattern on a given day or over a month.

Another use case example can be a fob key for a car. One can get a duplicate fob key made from the aftermarket. But with Sibros, the OEM can work with the supplier to get a new set of security settings for the key and put them on the cloud. The vehicle will sense that, download those new security settings and update the key. Resetting the key settings periodically makes it very difficult to hack or steal the car.

An ICE tractor company might want to change the engine ECU settings based on whether the tractor is working in a high-altitude region or a plain farming base. An EV company would like to see how the batteries are consumed in a cold climate, so they can optimise that. The software becomes a defining factor for different use cases as an OEM, fleet owner, and consumer.

What is a Software Defined Vehicle (SDV)?

Traditionally, an automobile has been a mechanical product. Then we had a few ECUs (electronic control units) put in and then came along the CAN bus enabling communication across the vehicle. In older vehicles, when you pressed the brake, it was connected directly to the tail light along with the battery connection, and the tail light will turn on. Today, if you press the brake, it goes to a brake ECU that sends a message on the CAN bus. Through the CAN bus, the message is sent to the tail light, and it is turned on. So, it becomes a mechatronics system.

As the number of microcontrollers or chips in the vehicle is increasing, you can potentially manipulate or change the functionality using the software. e.g. if the wipers are on an ECU, you can change the wiper settings through a software update. The ability to change the functionality of a vehicle using software makes it a software-defined vehicle.

Most OEMs are putting more and more software components and larger ECUs in their vehicles. There are considerations of modem security settings, communication protocols, and who handles which piece of the puzzle. We are going from a purely mechanical vehicle to a very sophisticated electronic or electrical system with a lot of in-built software technologies that will help hyper-personalize the vehicle.

What challenges do the OEMs face due to ECU-dominated vehicles?

The vehicles are becoming software-defined. Even a simple change to one ECU can have a ripple effect on other ECUs in the vehicle. For example, in an electric vehicle, the battery will naturally degrade over time, which means that the battery management system (BMS) settings need to be adjusted periodically. However, changing the BMS settings will also require adjustments to other parts of the vehicle (such as the drivetrain and infotainment for customer consent) to ensure everything remains in sync.

The OEM now has to take ownership of this process. It was first given to the tier-one suppliers of the ECUs, and every ECU was independent inside the vehicle. Now it’s all coming together, and the OEMs need to learn to manage the software aspects as well as better coordinate with their tier-one suppliers. One piece of software change on one ECU might cause chaos unless handled properly. The embedded electronics aspect of things is hard because there are many different chip suppliers. Till now, most OEMs never bothered to find out which chipset or operation system version is running inside the infotainment system or any other component supplied by their tier-1 supplier. They are now getting into that level of detail to manage the software and electronics system better.

I think it is a 5-year long journey. The OEMs are in a transition phase, and everyone has their own strategy on how to go about it.

What kind of innovations can be expected in Vehicle Configuration Management going forward?

What does Vehicle Configuration Management mean?

Typically, a vehicle has a base trim, a mid-end trim, and a high-end trip. You have a powertrain type, a left-hand drive or a right-hand drive, and then 8-10 colour options. So, broadly the OEM had to manage 30-35 combinations per vehicle platform.

Now with software coming in, the OEM has to be able to configure every vehicle for a unique customer. If I am living in a mountainous region, I may not need a long-range, but I need better torque. Otherwise, my vehicle will not pull up the slope. So I need a different configuration. Someone might require a different infotainment language setting or a custom wiper setting. I may want my screen to look a certain way and only show the set of apps I want to pay for. For the same trim, the OEM will need to manage a large number of vehicle configurations. And as you start going to other countries, each country has its own homologation requirements. The complexity increases manifold, which is hard to manage for any OEM.

Sibros is able to work with the OEMs and help them with configuration management. OTA software updates and data collection are a part of the larger automated configuration management system.

Vehicle personalization and continuous data collection also bring up some concerns about privacy. How do you think that will play out?

This is a concern across the board. However, we can take a cue from the banking system. A bank has data on everything – your name, address and your finances, including income, spending patterns and the people you are transacting with. They use your data to upsell and cross-sell their services, but typically, they do not share the data with any third party.

The same thing will happen in the automotive world. OEMs will collect a lot of user data. As long as they keep it to themselves and use it to provide better value-added services to the consumer, it’ll be okay. The moment they start trading it, it gets a little tricky. In Europe, the GDPR guidelines address these concerns. Similarly, CCPA guidelines in California take care of this. India does not have a data privacy law at the moment, though one is under discussion.