Vehicle softwarisation is a technical and cultural challenge

Modern vehicles are no longer strictly mechanical products—the use of software to manage, enhance and add functionality has made them more sophisticated than ever before. The rise of electric vehicles (EVs), combined with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), telematics, infotainment and more, makes a software-defined future all but inevitable.

As with electrification, industry pioneer Tesla has championed and proven the business case for a software-centric approach to vehicle development since the late 2000s. Doing so can unlock significant system optimisation and product monetisation opportunities. However, automakers will first need a method for identifying and analysing the value of vehicle data. Are they culturally and technologically ready for the challenge?