Plugfest of the SofDCar project
A milestone in digital vehicle development
Research Focus: Intelligent Transportation Systems and Logistics
Why are there still plugfests in today’s world? Plugfests used to be an opportunity for manufacturers, such as tractor manufacturers, to test the compatibility of equipment physically. Meanwhile, this concept has been transferred to the virtual world. Just like at the plugfest of the SofDCar project on July 17-18, 2024, in the ARENA2036 in Stuttgart, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the European Commission’s NextGenerationEU program with around 43 million euros. The integration of the various partial results was now tested on a large scale at this event. And it was a success!
Software as a distinguishing feature
In the automotive industry, software increasingly becomes the core distinguishing feature of a vehicle, which is regarded as part of a networked vehicle and system environment. Conventional software development processes are reaching their limits, however, as the development and homologation of software require ever-faster cycles with increasing vehicle configuration options. SofDCar addresses this challenge and strives for effective data utilization, digital sustainability, re-training of AI, higher clocking, faster diagnostic functions, and data privacy protection.
Digital twin as a virtual model of a vehicle
The FZI contributes its extensive research expertise in the mobility sector and is substantially involved in the development of the digital twin, an intersection of various models. For example, this shadow model makes it possible to create suitable software configurations for all vehicle variants and extract performance models to identify potential performance problems. In this way, the requirements of different parties, such as car manufacturers, suppliers, or fleet operators, can be efficiently taken into account, and the virtual go-live of vehicle software can be carried out and variants tested.
Highly variable configuration space requires high variance in the software
The FZI is particularly involved in the validation, verification, and consistency preservation of vehicle variants, the detection of restrictions and vulnerabilities in the driving function, the evolution of both variants and individual functionalities and the management of the resulting versions with the help of the digital twin. There is also a focus on quality-assured application processes across vehicle boundaries. In addition, applied IT security issues, such as the security protection of vehicle components, are being investigated using Artificial Intelligence methods, including practical security tests on selected components. At the Test Area Autonomous Driving Baden-Württemberg, various aspects of software-over-the-air, safeguarding, and increasing robustness are being tested.
Strengthening the innovative power of the automotive industry
The SofDCar plugfest marks a decisive step towards sustainable, software-defined vehicle development. The results and insights gained from this project will significantly contribute to mastering the challenges of modern vehicle development and further strengthen the innovative power of the German automotive industry.
About the project:
Project coordination:
Project partners:
- ETAS GmbH
- BOSCH
- BooleWorks GmbH
- Research Instititute for Automotive Engineering and Powertrain Systems Stuttgart (FKSF)
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
- Mercedes-Benz AG
- P3 digital services GmbH
- T-Systems International GmbH
- University of Stuttgart
- Vector Informatik GmbH
- ZF Friedrichshafen AG
- State Agency for New Energy Solutions and Automotive Baden-Württemberg
Funded by:
About the FZI
The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, with headquarters in Karlsruhe and a branch office in Berlin, is a non-profit institution for information technology application research and technology transfer. It delivers the latest scientific findings in information technology to companies and public institutions and qualifies individuals for academic and business careers or the leap into self-employment. Supervised by professors from various faculties, the research groups at the FZI develop interdisciplinary concepts, software, hardware, and system solutions for their clients and implement the solutions found as prototypes. The FZI House of Living Labs provides a unique research environment for application research. The FZI is an innovation partner of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and strategic partner of the German Informatics Society (GI).