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Software Eats the Car: Coding the Automotive Revolution
A new ebook, “Coding the Car” by MotorTrend and BlackBerry, provides an in-depth look at how software is redefining mobility and reshaping the automobile as we know it and profiles some of the key contributors to the field so far.
The Rise of the Software-Defined Vehicle
Over the past decade, software has become an integral part of the modern automobile. Today’s cars contain upwards of 100 electronic control units (ECUs) networked throughout the body, executing over 100 million lines of code. In high-end cars like the BMW 7 Series, the number of ECUs can exceed 150.
As Manfred Broy, an emeritus professor of informatics at Technical University Munich, notes in the book, software now determines the capabilities and value of a vehicle more than its mechanical parts.
The industry is moving rapidly towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs) — essentially rolling computers defined more by code than hardware. The transition is being accelerated by the push towards electric and autonomous vehicles, both of which rely heavily on software innovation.
“Software is becoming one of the most critical areas of vehicle development and expense,” said John Wall, SVP and Head of BlackBerry QNX, in an interview for the book. As per Deloitte…
