BMW Group

Software In Cars – The Engine Behind An Enhanced Driving Experience

The BMW Group taps into the software know-how of Gofore’s subsidiary eMundo for high-level automated vehicle application performance testing and verification, especially around infotainment systems. The results are considered to point the way for integration and validation of new software architectures in vehicles, for example, by use of existing Android platforms.

THE CHALLENGE

How to maximise output and quality in increasingly complex vehicle software development

The modern-day car is clearly defined by software. Accordingly, the integration of Android-based technologies, known to users from the consumer electronics field, has already made a breakthrough in the automotive world. Mobile infotainment applications in the vehicle can be used to control both in-car functions like radio and hands-free systems as well as out-of-car functions like navigation.

To ensure optimal performance of the display in the cockpit, including smartphone compatibility, continuous testing of vehicle functions and the provision of related back-end services are necessary. The large number of features available these days, however, makes it almost impossible to carry out the required quality assurance measures manually, particularly since the parameters for each test differ from application to application.

For this reason, the BMW Group needs a high degree of test automation, together with compatible software-aided processes and technologies.

The automotive sector places new demands on its tools. More and more auto components are controlled or integrated digitally, because cars ought to respond to traffic with as little human input as possible. For a traditionally hardware-driven industry this means setting a clear course towards software-defined development, while considering technical environments and leveraging already existing consumer platforms, such as e.g., Android.

OUR APPROACH

Equipping teams with an agile and experimental mindset

Agile, iterative approaches characterised the development process of Gofore’s subsidiary eMundo. These were designed to help the BMW Group realise their product visions in the project landscape of the infotainment domain. The aim was to introduce sound vehicle functions within short time-to-market cycles. Thereby, many of the new tools arose through prototyping and experimentation.

In developing products, especially the design thinking method paid off. It consisted of several phases: observing, understanding, evaluating, experimenting, prototyping, and collecting user feedback.

Ultimately, it was above all proactivity and open discussions that contributed to the attainment of service goals. There was no one-size-fits-all development process. The approach – whether unconventional and retrospective or according to textbook – was always determined by the problem at hand and the people who make up the team.

the result

An automated test environment and shortened time-to-market cycles

At the BMW Group, eMundo’s software expertise has led to process-assisted and automated tests. Today, reports regarding maturity levels are generated and processed, so that the test team at the BMW Group knows exactly in what development stage a feature is at, at what point in time, and whether development is happening according to schedule.

Speedier innovation and greater precision are only a few of the many advantages this solution brings about. By gaining clear insight into various aspects of development activities, the BMW Group’s test teams can visualise the development status of different features and decide on development priorities. This has increased the quality of application development on the one hand. On the other hand, feedback cycles have become shorter.

For end customers, this means a more robust app landscape in their vehicle with faster updates, enabled through tested and fault-tolerant software platforms.

Case in numbers

30 project team size
9 different capabilities
1200 users per tool

About the Partnership

Powerful test environments for the future-proof car

The project work between the BMW Group and Gofore’s subsidiary eMundo originally began with the development of organisational tools. Later, the focus was on the provision of test infrastructures for apps, underlying platforms, and the integration of those into the vehicle. Beyond that, simulations were carried out for specific test infrastructures as well.

With their software know-how, eMundo’s experts have in particular accompanied the BMW Group in the digital transformation of validating infotainment applications and communication systems. Gofore’s subsidiary eMundo has thus provided support in the design of vehicles, fit for the ”Smart City“ concept, in which transportation infrastructure and means of transport will be evermore interconnected.

expertise