The transformation of automotive test procedures

The automotive industry continues to transform and evolve at an astounding rate. Through rapid innovation teamed with an ongoing need to meet growing demand, we are seeing boundaries pushed at an incredible pace. Consequently, the automotive industry has grown to a record high with worldwide automotive sales reaching 88 million units in 2016.

As a result, it’s important to ensure that the industry’s systems, products and tools are able to sustain this continued growth, while guaranteeing continued customer satisfaction. With growth comes innovation, and with innovation comes complexity and a need for complete end-to-end lifecycle solutions – solutions that are fully aligned to support said upward trajectory and transform automotive testing procedures. The necessary infrastructure and systems are required so future industry needs can be ever-more flexible throughout the design and development process and even the automotive testing processes.

You only need to look at the current complexities of modern vehicles to understand the magnitude of today’s challenge in keeping up to date. With electrical power and signal distribution, e-mobility and even advanced driver assistance systems, these next-generation end-to-end lifecycle solutions are transforming the entire testing process and need to be kept constantly up-to-date.

In the space of a few years we’ve witnessed technical capabilities of automotive test procedures spreading from the engine to the entire vehicle network, providing an array of real-time data from other areas such as tires and bodywork. Such increases in functionality, in turn, rely on gradually advanced technology networks from the car itself to data diagnostics and technical centers.

The need to manage the ever-changing software with progressively more complex in-vehicle electrical systems is also imperative. The electrical complexity of new-build vehicles, some of which feature up to 100 million lines of code and up to 50 separate but interconnected modules, increases levels of automation. The latest multifaceted electrical and data systems have enhanced the need and importance of developing and testing entire electrical systems using ‘box-car’ frameworks even more comprehensively and months prior to the actual vehicle construction.

Developing products, systems and components able to aid with testing and validation of vehicles through advanced diagnostics and development of test procedures, has never been more vital for the automotive industry, and it’s an area in which Assystem remains heavily focused.

Consequently, Assystem experts have created a one-stop shop for complete vehicle, system, sub-system and component testing and validation, to ensure that we are able to provide transformative end-to-end full lifecycle solutions to our clients.

A notable component of our comprehensive expertise includes fully integrated software, hardware and HiL-systems for ECU tests that provide complete end-to-end cycle accuracy and industry-leading efficiency.

To facilitate the implementation of our transformative solutions, we’ve placed certified test experts who are equipped with extensive automotive domain know-how in our local test houses. Such centers, alongside our offshore infrastructure, also offer comprehensive service and flexibility.

These new technologically-enabled capabilities are only a few of the key areas at the forefront of innovation across the industry and will continue to improve at an accelerating rate. With significant and inevitable change on the horizon, the future of the automotive sector is understandably abuzz with discussion, debate and analysis. One thing we already know with certainty is that our capabilities and products around test procedures will continue to be transformed by next-generation end-to-end full lifecycle solutions in the months and years ahead.

At Assystem, we strongly believe that understanding our past is key to preparing for the future, especially when it comes to industry evolution – and we’re keen to ensure this is better embraced industry-wide.