Siemens has partnered with StreetScooter, the electric vehicle manufacturer, for equipping an electric car with innovative electronic and software architecture.
The companies plan to launch a new electric vehicle featuring Siemens technology in December this year.
Siemens is the consortium leader of Robust and Reliant Automotive Computing Environment for Future eCars (RACE) project. The funding is done by German Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy which helped in developing the software technology.
StreetScooter hopes RACE will help adapt new functions for its cars flexibly and inexpensively.
“We want to be able to integrate updates and individualize pioneering developments for our customers. Our modular and adaptable concept makes us the ideal platform for the RACE technology,” said Achim Kampker, managing director, StreetScooter.
The vehicles featuring RACE technology are controlled by a centralized computing program, similar to the fly-by-wire systems used in airplanes. With the help of this uniform software architecture, developers can create new functions ranging from infotainment software to driver assistance systems.
The significance of this technology is that the electrical brake functions and lane-keeping assistant systems in the electric vehicle feature a plug-and-play process as in a home PC. This, according to the company, is the first such development in the industry.
In Future, Siemens will use standardized hardware and flexible apps which will help in reducing development times increasing customization, said, Armin Schnettler, project manager, Siemens central research department Corporate Technology.
The RACE project aims to simplify cars’ complex electronics architecture. It also makes autonomous driving much simpler.
The approximately €20 million RACE project was launched in 2012 and is expected to continue till the end of 2014.
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