Automotive industry is slightly moving the innovation focus on the software and infotainment contents. We can certainly say that automotive companies are not only companies that develop the mechanics and integrate ECUs anymore, but are real and proper software companies (this statement very applies to large automotive groups).

The software for key features (from the basics like mirror folding to the most complex ADAS/AD) are developed internally by carmakers which is leading the need to have a proper validation framework that will allow the carmaker to develop, evaluate and validate the software before flashing it into the ECU and integrating it into the real vehicle. 

In this scenario, virtualization is getting a key role. Having the application and base software of feature/ECU we can generate a so called vECU that can be used in a Software in the Loop environment for performing tests at different virtualization level: application level, base software level, feature level, and so on. We do not need any special hardware equipment (like for the Hardware in the Loop testing) except than HPCs. This makes this solution very interesting for cloud-based simulation.

Another relevant aspect is the platform scalability on a DUT prospective: going from a component test to a system test is a smooth transition by reusing virtualized components, models and testing scenarios. This scalability and reusability approach well fits with the needs of the carmaker to have a scalable xIL framework that is also re-usable transversally across several vehicle architecture configurations and vehicle programs.

During the presentation, I am going to touch all the above points with focus on the AD software validation and present the approach adopted by Stellantis on this topic.

In this session, you will learn more about:

• Virtual validation of the in-house developed software
• Virtualization advantages, and vECU
• Framework scalability, reusability, modularity and the xIL approach