Softing Automotive at SAE On-Board Diagnostics Symposium 2026

Softing at the SAE On-Board Diagnostics Symposium in California

In mid-September, we attended the SAE On-Board Diagnostics Symposium in Long Beach, California. Naturally, with our own booth.

The focus of our presence was the SOVD implementation developed by Softing on a VCI from our US partner DGTech, which impressively demonstrated our interpretation of the new diagnostic standard using a simulation. In addition, we brought along our flagship Softing DTS.monaco, including the OBD Testing Tool for SAE J1979-2/-3 and SAE J1699. Both live demos attracted great interest and brought numerous visitors to our booth, leading to many interesting discussions.

The presentation program also had plenty to offer from a technical perspective: Around 300 participants discussed current and future developments in on-board diagnostics. Topics ranged from emissions reduction and on-board monitoring to changes in emissions legislation around the globe, as well as more specific topics and related developments in diagnostics and standardization (e.g. battery electric vehicles, EU7, ...). The program was complemented by updates from the various SAE Task Forces and much more.

There were also interesting insights beyond the conference program: The evening event at the Lions Automobilia Museum combined automotive history with exceptional engineering. It demonstrated how vehicle dynamics simulations can help in planning spectacular vehicle stunts - such as a barrel roll. Jaguar used such a stunt for the world premiere of the E-PACE in 2017. As a reminder: The SUV jumped 15.3 meters through the air while rotating around its longitudinal axis. The special atmosphere also provided an opportunity for personal exchange and networking.

We were particularly pleased to meet many long-standing companions again. At the same time, we were able to make new contacts, present our diagnostics portfolio, and engage directly with representatives of the regulatory authorities in attendance.

The excellent organization, high-caliber presentations, and knowledgeable audience made the event a real highlight for us.

And for us as visitors from Germany, it was of course particularly pleasant to escape the beginning of autumn for a few more days and enjoy the Californian summer.

We return with many valuable insights, new contacts, and several concrete to-dos that we will now follow up on step by step.

Many thanks to SAE and everyone involved for an all-around successful event.

We look forward to being there again!