Drive by Wire –

“What Will Be Its Impact

On Tomorrow’s Vehicles?”

Craig Stephens

Ford Motor Company

2

Why Drive by Wire

Through the use of of electronics and software in drive by wire systems we can offer our customers new functions and improved attributes:

– Fuel economy

– Ride and handling– Driveability– Interaction with the environment and

vehicle surroundings

3

Drive by Wire Considerations

• What value or enhancement does the system provide to the customer?

• How does the customer interact with the system?

• How do we manage the added system complexity?

• These new systems must be safe and reliable

What can we learn from other Industries?

5

Unique Automotive Factors

• Operator training

• Service & after market modification

• Cycle time

• Production volumes

• Product use

6

Complexity Considerations• Safe operation must be ensured as the complexity of the

systems increases:– Increased complexity creates new modes that have to be assessed

and managed with respect to safety, reliability and availability– Interactions between previously separate subsystems (e.g. brakes &

powertrain) create coupled modes which must be managed

• Has consequences for design, release, manufacture and service

• The management of the complexity will inevitably rely heavily on software for design, analysis,and implementation

• The increased complexity is often invisible

7

Techniques & Tools

• Techniques that help bridge the gap between written functional requirements and the end design

• Techniques to analyse behaviour in subsystems and systems that exhibit modal and continuous behaviour

• Hardware and Software in the loop systems to enable system analysis and testing

8

Standards & Best Practices

• Customer interface

• Architectures• Operating systems and

communication protocols

• Process

• Tool interfaces

• Model standards

9

Conclusions