Realizing Software-Defined Commercial Vehicles

July 23, 2024

Ryan Gehm

Severe driver shortages, rising fuel and material costs, escalating demand for freight transport, higher sustainability requirements – there is no shortage of challenges facing the transport sector. Commercial vehicle manufacturers and industry suppliers are devoting significant resources to develop, test and bring to market the technological advances that will help alleviate these pressure points.

“The digitalization of commercial vehicles and the whole logistics chain is a necessary response and one of the most important developments in the CV industry in my view,” said Continental Automotive’s head of commercial and special vehicles, Georg Fässler, in a recent interview with SAE International.

It’s no coincidence that Continental, as the executive host for SAE’s 2024 COMVEC  event from September 10-12, set a theme centered around “Smart Machines. The Digitalization of Machines.” Fässler, in his role as COMVEC executive chair, described the three-day conference as “the most important scientific exchange place, communication place,” where industry can openly discuss its latest trends and challenges. With mobility’s rapidly shifting technological landscape, there will be plenty to talk about.

“There were never [as] many changes in the commercial vehicle industry than in the last ten years,” Fässler said. “And probably even more coming in the next ten years.” Future commercial vehicles will be “permanently and seamlessly connected,” he predicted, which will enable new functions both within and outside of the vehicle, increasing safety, efficiency and comfort for the driver.

A software-defined future

Fässler, who holds a Ph.D. in electromagnetic computation methods, launched his career by working on cell phones – “pretty small devices, opposite to trucks,” he said with a chuckle. But actually, he pointed out, the software isn’t all that different.

Much like cell phones, modern commercial vehicles heavily rely on integrated software for seamless functionality. “Integrating digital solutions and connectivity technologies is key to making commercial vehicles future-proof,” he said.

Fässler pointed to the development of software-defined and autonomous commercial vehicles as the industry’s most exciting innovation today. How to effectively achieve a “software-defined future” will be core to the SAE COMVEC agenda.

“Just as passenger cars, commercial vehicles will increasingly rely on software-enabled functions, with software being decoupled from hardware for rapid development and over-the-air (OTA) updates – particularly with the emergence of modern driver-assistance systems and the eventual transition to automated and fully autonomous driving,” he said.

Continental and other industry players already have made significant strides toward realizing software-defined commercial vehicles. “We’ve succeeded in decoupling hardware from software while offering reliable middleware,” Fässler asserted. As these vehicles increasingly become part of the Internet of Things (IoT), software will be tasked with processing, managing and distributing the influx of real-time data to and from the cloud.

These advances also will reshape the vehicle’s internal structure. “Automated driving, in particular, will require an exponential increase in a vehicle’s computing power, demanding to process the data flood securely, reliably and quickly,” Fässler said. “This results in a shift towards a centralized vehicle architecture (E/E and software) with more powerful computing units and consequently ever-growing significance of cybersecurity.”

Cybersecurity strategies

Cybersecurity becomes a greater concern as software and connectivity increase. Data transfer between the vehicle and its environment introduces risks. To protect against potential threats, companies need to develop end-to-end solutions that incorporate cybersecurity from initial development through the entire product lifecycle, Fässler advised.

“At Continental, we have developed a Cybersecurity Management System (CSMS) compliant with ISO/SAE 21434, tailored to the needs of commercial vehicles,” he said. “This system is adaptable and ensures a structured approach to cybersecurity.”

Continental also “actively participates” in the ongoing development and extension of ISO/SAE 21434, as well as efforts related to the development of standards for the agriculture and off-highway sectors (ISO 24882).

“By focusing on protecting critical assets and preparing for potential incidents, cybersecurity strategies need to be tailored to the specific needs of vehicle manufacturers,” he said. “This approach includes offering cybersecurity maintenance contracts that cover the entire product lifecycle, from design to end-of-life.”

In addition to enabling remote upgrades, bug fixes and the implementation of new features, OTA updates also can ensure top-tier security throughout the vehicle lifecycle, Fässler noted.

Continental’s approach addresses cybersecurity from multiple angles. This includes at the component level, with each electronic component functioning as a “mini-computer” with specific responsibilities, and at the system level, ensuring secure communication within the vehicle’s entire system. Securing the various external interfaces between the vehicle and the outside world also is critical, as is protecting data during transfer and processing outside the vehicle, including cloud and backend systems.

Autonomous endgame

The ultimate goal is achieving full autonomy in commercial vehicles, Fässler said. However, the public’s unease towards this technology is no secret. Fässler believes in directly addressing uncertainty regarding automation to help mitigate concerns and build confidence.

“Public hesitation about completely driverless commercial vehicles is still common,” he said. “Events like COMVEC offer opportunities to showcase advancements, demonstrate the reliability and safety of autonomous systems, and communicate how these technologies can outperform human drivers in terms of safety.”

Continental and Aurora Innovation announced at CES 2024 in Las Vegas that they had finalized their design of a scalable SAE Level 4 automated driving system, the Aurora Driver. Start of production is expected in 2027.

“This is groundbreaking technology that is scaled up to a commercial-attractive level, which naturally entails challenges – on the legal side as well as in development of such a complex system solution,” Fässler said. “Fully clear is that no player in the market can overcome these challenges [on] its own.”

Fässler said that components and base technologies developed for the high-volume passenger vehicle market can significantly reduce costs and development time for its customers in other markets, including commercial vehicle and off-highway. However, autonomy is one area in which lessons learned and technologies developed specifically for heavy-duty vehicles can be transferred to benefit passenger cars.

“Here, particularly our L4 autonomous driving solutions and cooperation with Aurora serve as pioneers,” he said.

Slashing CO₂

Alleviating autonomous anxiety isn’t the only task at hand. As climate change becomes harder to ignore, the transportation sector is under mounting pressure to improve its sustainability, and fast.

“There’s a significant shift toward electric commercial vehicles driven by environmental concerns and government regulations,” Fässler said. “And society is supporting the move towards slashing CO₂ emissions.”

To get there, charging infrastructure needs to improve – both for passenger and commercial vehicles. According to Fässler, this means more high-powered fast charging stations strategically placed along major routes and at key hubs, further standardization, and grid upgrades.

“Standardizing the charging system is essential to ensure compatibility across different vehicle makes and models,” he said.

Vehicle range and the high costs of transitioning to a fully electric fleet are also considerable challenges that need to be addressed. Fässler indicated that governments and industry can, and should, work together to meet the public’s demand for positive change.

“Governments can play a significant role in accelerating the adoption of electric commercial vehicles through incentives such as subsidies, tax breaks, and grants for vehicle purchases and charging infrastructure installation,” he said. “Additionally, regulations such as emissions standards and zero-emission zones can incentivize fleet operators to switch to electric vehicles.”

One such regulation is the U.S. EPA’s recent final rule on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. These “Phase 3” guidelines establish new CO₂ emissions for model year 2032 and later heavy-duty vehicles, beginning as early as MY 2027 for certain vehicle categories. For example, MY 2027 light-heavy vocational vehicles must cut CO₂ emissions by 17% compared to the Phase 2 regulations; by MY 2032, that figure swells to 60%.

“As the climate crisis intensifies, regulations that affect commercial vehicles will continue to increase, as they will in all sectors,” Fässler said.

Gretchen Uhrinek, the editor for SAE’s official member magazine, Update  , contributed to this feature story.

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