A new report released by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC) is intended to provide the automotive industry with a definition of a Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV), its key levels and components, and detail the industrial shift into this new technology
The APC is a body that collaborates with the UK government, the automotive industry, and academia to drive research and investment in zero-emission vehicle manufacturing.
Providing a definition of an SDV is important as the new scope of the DRIVE35 programme, part of the UK Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan for a zero-emission future, introduces key elements of an SDV as a fundable area of technology development. DRIVE35 has £4 billion of grant funding available to 2035 for automotive R&D, scale-up, and transformation.
The Software-Defined Vehicle Value Chains report by the APC spans hardware, software, integration, and the lifecycle operations required to support continuous improvement beyond Start of Production (SOP). SDV shifts the product model from a one-off release, with refresh cycles, toward a platform that is continuously updated, monitored and refined.
Dr Hadi Moztarzadeh, head of technology trends at APC said: “Software-defined vehicles represent one of the most profound transformations the automotive industry has experienced in decades. This changes how vehicles are designed, validated, updated and operated, and is reshaping where value is created across the automotive industry. SDVs are a fast-moving and constantly developing area within the automotive industry.
The UK’s strongest opportunity is in the high-value-enabling capabilities that help OEMs and suppliers develop, integrate, validate and operate SDVs safely at scale. These capabilities are increasingly central to competitiveness because SDV value is not only created at vehicle launch, but through the ability to improve, assure, and update vehicles throughout their lifecycle.”
