Rethinking Automotive Software Development: Exploring Software Defined Vehicle and its potential

This thesis project delves into the analysis of contemporary connected vehicle platforms, focusing on the benefits and challenges associated with these advanced solutions and emphasising aspects of safety and flexibility. A key trend in the current automotive sector is the prospect of transforming the car from a hardware-focused product to a software-driven device. The technology of choice for leading software development and production companies driving this change is the Software Defined Vehicle (SDV). The primary objective of the thesis is to apply this paradigm to the development of a simulator for a vehicle control unit responsible for collecting telemetric data from the vehicle. The implementation of the simulator involves an in-depth analysis of the drawbacks of the automotive software production industry and the advantages of the Software Defined Vehicle solution. The simulator implementation also includes the creation of a scaled-down version of a connected vehicle platform, storage infrastructure and example application. Using the Amazon Web Services (AWS), an environment in the cloud is established for the development of the necessary software for the operation of the vehicle control unit. Development of the vehicle control unit simulator is carried out, including client connectivity to interact with the cloud platform, telemetry generation, logic for remote operations, and optional applications. The final phase involves testing the simulator on compatible hardware to validate its functionality and performance. The successful completion of this project in collaboration with Storm Reply, not only highlights the potential of the software-defined vehicle paradigm as a leading force in the future of the automotive sector, but also explores the economic, safety and security benefits associated with its adoption, paving the way for significant progress in the field and ensuring an advanced and safe end-user experience.