Software-defined vehicles and new E/E architectures are leading not only to an increase in the amount of software in the vehicle, but also to a considerably more complex release and integration of the components. The testing and release of a high variety of code is mandatory, as is the safeguarding of the fast and safe transfer of the software to the vehicle. This is all taking place at ever shorter intervals, as safety and performance improvements as well as functional enhancements need to be brought into the vehicle quickly.

The flashing of enormous amounts of data poses a technical and logistical challenge, particularly in time-critical manufacturing. Along with the sheer programming speed, reliability plays a key role here. Furthermore, today’s production lines usually do not produce just one type of vehicle, but alternate between mid-range vehicles, luxury cars and SUVs. This results in the need for flexibly scalable transmission rates to adhere to the manufacturing cycle. Ultimately, you don’t just have to retain 50 GBytes of data per vehicle type, but in fact retain this amount for several series. Conventional methods are often too long and unreliable here.

With its new Smart Vehicle Interface, Softing Automotive Is presenting an innovative solution which combines fast programming of enormous amounts of data with continuous data supply. To ensure this, the device is made up of several tried-and-tested individual components: an interface for fast and reliable vehicle communication, a Smart Device for continuous data supply via the wireless connection and simple operation with a touchscreen, and an SSD for storing the high volumes of data for different vehicle types. A diagnostic system for diverse flash and diagnostic sequences is integrated on the device. This means, for example, that the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be used to ensure a unique assignment of vehicle and programming device – and thus a vehicle-specific programming procedure.

By shifting functions and applications to just one high-performance device, efficiency can be increased over the entire vehicle life cycle thanks to fast and reliable reflashing. The virtualization based on containerization of the solution enables great freedom in the process and system landscape. At the same time, new, highly flexible, and decentralized processes and thus economies of scale are made possible.

Softing SVIs are not only suitable for programming in the production line but can also be used in other applications such as road tests and after-sales service. The combination of a powerful VCI and a modern Smart Device enables a future-proof flash and test solution for the challenges of software-defined vehicles (SDV).

The system will be available from 2025.