E/E in the Vehicle Manufacturing of the Future

The importance of software in vehicle technology has increased sharply. The number of lines of code in vehicles has risen from a previous 10 million to over 100 million. Which is why the automotive industry is cooperating with technology companies to meet the demands of software-driven vehicle technology. Because of their connectivity and software-driven features, vehicles are increasingly becoming "smartphones on wheels."

For automotive engineering, there is an enormous challenge in updating the software due to the complex and heterogeneous electronic/electrical architecture and various bus systems. In this context, the automotive industry is striving for digitized vehicle production, with a central data source and cloud technologies to process the large software packages. To enable high-performance software processes in vehicle production, the use of mobile platforms such as smartphones as vehicle communication interfaces (VCIs) is being explored. This could simplify integration into production infrastructures and enable more flexible and decentralized E/E process flows.

According to the report, the automotive industry is adapting to the increasing importance of software-driven vehicle technology by incorporating software expertise, exploring cloud-based solutions and optimizing software processes in vehicle production. In particular, the use of mobile platforms and the possibility of onboard systems offer new opportunities for digitized vehicle production.