The auto industry’s need for software will continue to expand amid an increase in electric vehicle deliveries and development of electronic systems, an executive for French supplier Forvia said.
“Compared to 20 years ago, the capacity of the system itself has vastly improved,” Jean Lorchat, director of software as a product for Nanterre, France-based Forvia, said in an interview.
“Connectivity is now both affordable financially and technically for cars…Fifteen years ago, I was walking in Japan on connecting the car to the internet and it was not obvious how it would be done.” Today, he added, “It’s a given your car will be connected somehow. People are expecting that.”
Vehicles have added so-called infotainment features and have touch-screen displays. EVs are also boosting the need for software. The same applies to autonomous vehicles.
Forvia in the past seven years has acquired seven companies with automotive software expertise and products. The company has created a global business unit for software development. Lorchat oversees leads the development of Forvia software products from the idea stage to market introduction.
With EVs, “There is more software required to drive the electric powertrain,” he said. “That means the requirements for software are increasing.”
But that’s the only reason for more software demand, the executive said.
“There are different factors at play that tend to compound each other,” Lorchat said. “If you are having more features but they are not driven by historically mechanical and electric parts, that means” software comes more into play.
Auto software engineers and designers also have to take harsh conditions into account. Vehicles travel in very hot and very cold conditions.
“Conditions are extreme,” Lorchat said. “We have to rank the risks by how likely they are to happen. The safety goals are on each piece of software.”
Forvia’s acquisitions are targeted at increasing the company’s automotive expertise, the executive said.
“In terms of strategy, it’s very important,” he said.
