OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 1/2020

102 Services Comprehensive Expertise in Physical and Software Testing By Dr. Marcel Klehr (Vice President Germany, Formel D GmbH) and Raffaele Bruno (Managing Director, Vdynamics GmbH) Never before has there been such a wide variety of models, derivatives, and types of drive in the vehicle industry. For manufacturers in the industry, this means that there is a much larger demand for vehicle testing prior to moving into series production. As a globally operating company, the Formel D Group supports its customers with numerous services in this area. The takeover of Vdynamics GmbH in 2019 enabled the quality service provider to further expand its portfolio, particularly in the area of software validation. Sedan or station wagon, coupe or convertible, three- or five-door, regular gas or diesel: Buy- ing a car has always involved a vast variety of options. However, the choice has never been greater than now, mainly due to the wide vari- ety of drive systems. In addition to their regu- lar models, manufacturers are also introducing hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and/or purely electric versions. Another important development in the auto- motive industry is the continuous increase in the number of assistance systems across the entire range of models, slowly but surely pav- ing the way for fully autonomous driving. More model varieties require more testing The greater the variety of different models and assistance systems, the more testing is required by the OEMs in the developmental phase, in terms of both hardware and soft- ware. Since Formel D has systematically built up vast expertise in this area and has gradually expanded its range of services, manufacturers are outsourcing numerous testing services to the Group. The portfolio of the internationally represented service provider includes every- thing required to test drives on public roads as well as non-public test sites and race tracks – from preparation and organization to execu- tion. In 2019 alone, Formel D covered about 20 million miles (32.5 million km) for testing worldwide. Software validation in development and aftersales Vehicles and their respective (hardware) components are not the only items that are being tested in different development stages. Nowadays, cars also feature ad- ditional assistance systems, enhanced infotainment functions, eCall options, and connected car applications. Consequently, cars now have far more software than they did ten or fifteen years ago. A luxury class vehicle produced today contains roughly 180 million lines of code, significantly more Image: © Formel D Image: © Vdynamics Dr. Marcel Klehr Raffaele Bruno Image: © Shutter 81/stock.adobe.com S H A R E