Function Beats Performance
Seamless testing, independent
of environment
5 6 functional testing
The combustion engine is complex,
but not from the driver’s point
of view. They just step on the gas
and go. In the electric and autonomous
AVL functional testing
expertise delivers a
competitive advantage
car, it is the other way round: The mechanical hardware
is less complex, “but the overall functional complexity is higher,”
says Gianluca Vitale, Business Segment Manager Functional
Testing
and Virtualization at AVL.
Many new functions come with systems such as ADAS/AD,
connectivity,
cybersecurity, and thermal management. Control
units need to communicate as more data flows in from sensors.
OEMs tend to deploy frequent software updates, requiring additional
functionality and performance testing.
And for BEVs, environmental
dependencies such as charging and networked powertrain
functions, are very challenging.
Thus, the question for functional testing is not what performance
the tested item delivers, but if it works. If you open the car door
while driving, will the gearbox go into P-position? Where is it
locked? That question requires interaction between subsystems: the
door, the safety belt, and the gearbox. There are thousands of similar
questions in development, requiring thousands of tests. Functional
tests are simpler than, for example, performance tests, but the
quantity and the software release cadence cause new complexity.
In the next decade the automotive
sector will undergo a profound
change and will focus on the software
ecosystem rather than only on
the vehicle as a hardware product.
In this environment, in addition to
process efficiency, speed is an issue,
and at AVL we support our customers
in accelerating their processes.
Expertise in virtual testing and test
pipeline automation is an advantage
in this situation. “We can simulate the
entire system on the testbed,” says
Vitale. “Interaction with hardware
remains indispensable” to fulfill safety
and security system validation.
For us it is not just about providing
tools, like software variant management,
automated testing, or virtualization,
but rather end-to-end toolchain
integration. Vitale: “At AVL
we define ourselves as integrators –
that makes the difference.”