IEEE Spectrum article on VW/Rivian joint venture: "Rivian Flexes Software Power: What VW Gets for $5.7B"

[Seattleite]

A fairly lightweight read, but good to see nevertheless. And the author agrees with me that the owl hoot is the best!

IEEE_Spectrum

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[R1Thor]

For anyone else lazy like me (ChatGPT key points):

The article explains how software has become as critical to electric vehicles (EVs) as traditional mechanical engineering once was, fundamentally reshaping the automotive industry. Here are the key points:

1. Software as a Core Differentiator:
   EVs are no longer defined solely by their batteries or motors. Instead, the software that controls everything—from power management and safety systems to user interfaces and connectivity—has become central to a vehicle’s performance and customer experience.
2. New Entrants vs. Legacy Automakers:
   • Rivian’s Approach: New EV makers like Rivian have built their vehicles around a modern, integrated software platform. This allows them to push over-the-air updates, fine-tune performance, and quickly add new features—all of which help create a more dynamic, continually improving product.
   • Volkswagen’s Transformation: Traditional automakers such as Volkswagen are in the midst of overhauling their software systems to compete. Their challenge is to transition from decades-old, hardware-centric processes to agile, software-driven development models that can support the rapid evolution demanded by today’s market.
3. Integrated Electronic Architectures:
   The evolution from multiple, isolated control units to a more centralized, high-performance computing platform in EVs has enabled more sophisticated functions. This “software-defined vehicle” architecture allows for real-time monitoring, diagnostics, and updates, which are essential for everything from energy efficiency to safety.
4. Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates and Continuous Improvement:
   One of the most transformative aspects of modern EVs is their ability to receive OTA updates. This means vehicles can be updated long after they leave the factory, fixing bugs, improving performance, or even adding new features—much like how smartphones receive software updates.
5. Safety, Security, and Reliability Challenges:
   With increased software complexity comes the need for robust cybersecurity and strict safety standards. The industry is learning to manage these risks, ensuring that the new, software-intensive systems are reliable and secure even in a safety-critical context.
6. Cultural and Organizational Shifts:
   The article highlights that the change isn’t just technical but also cultural. Automotive companies, particularly those with longstanding traditions in mechanical engineering, must adapt to a world where agile software development and rapid iteration are the norms. This often means restructuring teams, adopting new development practices, and sometimes even partnering with tech companies.
7. Impact on the Future of Mobility:
   The convergence of advanced software with EV technology is not only redefining what cars can do today but is also setting the stage for future innovations—such as autonomous driving, enhanced connectivity, and personalized mobility experiences.

In summary, the article portrays the ongoing revolution in the automotive world: a shift from a hardware-dominated industry to one where sophisticated software platforms drive innovation, improve vehicle performance over time, and determine competitive success. Traditional car makers must now catch up to a new paradigm where agility in software development is as crucial as excellence in mechanical design.

 

[ThirteenElectrics]

The downside of this integration is:

• Tight coupling of components: you can't just swap out a module for a better module made by someone else (at least in the short term); one must wait for standardization. Manufacturers can be held hostage to particular parts.
• Linked failure modes: modules are no longer independent; a failure can now bring down multiple modules instead of just one. Modules aren't isolated so one can interfere with the operation of another.
• Physical complexity is reduced but software and systems complexity goes up. Understandability and debugability can be reduced.

Eventually all of this will standardize and the problems will be smoothed over with better quality control and testability of modules. It will just be painful in the short term.

I would have preferred Rivian adopt a more incremental approach, but they preferred to boil the ocean all at once, which is why the car is full of bugs and is generally unreliable. "Let's solve/improve everything at once" = "let's have the customer experience all possible problems at the same time." Kiss of death for a startup. Instead, go with a known good (i.e. "legacy") car design and then make small, incremental changes continuously, like Toyota does. Start with design which already works and iterate. Rivian is staffed by starry eyed n00bs with no experience with complex systems.

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