he transition to SDVs turns hardware functions into
modular, OTA-updatable software, offering benefits like
code reuse and continuous updates while raising sys-
tem complexity.Thermal management is a clear example. Con-
trolling battery, powertrain, and cabin temperature directly af-
fects range, charging speed, comfort, and battery life. Diverse
E/E architectures and platforms complicate integration, often
requiring OEMs to fit legacy components into modern SDVs.
This mix of old and new heightens complexity and demands
flexible strategies. Traditional hardware-centric processes with
long calibration cycles and many prototypes cannot keep pace
with today’s market and efficiency demand.
Digital-First Strategy
AVL’s digital-first strategy unites virtualization (“shift left”) with
platform-based approaches (“shift north”), establishing a new
benchmark for software-centric vehicle functions. Instead of
relying on long hardware cycles, the solution integrates soft-
ware development with advanced virtualization models, virtual
testing, and closed-loop calibration. Digital Twins and config-
urable test environments validate use cases from single- and
multi-zone climate control to complex battery and powertrain
cooling circuits.
Reusable software libraries are central to this approach.
Pre-configured functional blocks – for example, for high-volt-
age battery cooling or heat pump control – can be applied
across platforms, reducing development effort by up to 50 %
while maintaining consistency and quality.
AVL’s calibration and test ecosystem, like CRETA™, connects
calibration with software builds and test environments directly
into DevOps workflows. This enables continuous calibration,
testing, and updates throughout development instead of just
in late prototypes. Where physical validation is required, AVL’s
Virtual Thermal Lab reproduces demanding real-world scenari-
os for software, E/E, and cooling circuits validation.
In software-defined vehicles (SDVs), functions are becoming modular, software-
driven, and updateable throughout the lifecycle. Thermal management illustrates the
rising complexity: once hardware-bound, it is now a smart, over-the-air (OTA)-capable
software function. By enabling processes such as virtual calibration before road
testing, AVL’s solution speeds up this transformation by as much as 80 %.
SDV’s Hidden
Impact on
Development
and Testing
Beyond Infotainment
This digital-first approach makes thermal management a
showcase for SDVs, illustrating how functions can shift from
being hardware bound to being scalable and software driven.
Efficiency Gains Across the Lifecycle
AVL’s solutions accelerate development, optimize thermal
efficiency, and enable seamless integration into centralized
vehicle software with continuous updates. Closed-loop
automation, which combines virtual models with real-world
data, allows up to 80 % of calibration and verification tasks
to be completed before any road testing – cutting prototype
demand and halving environmental test trips.
Reusable software libraries support both initial development
and mid-lifecycle updates, ensuring consistent quality while
reducing the cost of change. AVL streamlines development
and ensures consistent deployment of thermal functions
across diverse E/E architectures. Virtualization, modular soft-
ware, and automation boost vehicle efficiency, enhance driver
comfort, extend battery life, and speed up SDV feature rollout
– reducing lifecycle costs and enabling sustainable, efficient
mobility.
Defining
the Terms
• Digital first: a holistic SDV strategy using early
virtualization and modular platforms for faster,
efficient, and cost-effective results.
• Shift left: early-phase testing with simulation,
Digital Twins, and continuous integration catches
issues sooner, cuts costs, and speeds delivery.
• Shift north: shifting non-safety functions from
hardware to agile software or the cloud enables
modular architectures, faster updates, and greater
innovation flexibility.
HOME OF INNOVATION
AUTOMATED AND CONNECTED MOBILITY
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