- Google is introducing a new version of its Android Automotive open-source operating system for vehicles.
- Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles (AAOS SDV) can directly control vehicle functions, not just the infotainment screen.
- The goal is to make it easier for car manufacturers to bypass the multitude of third-party controllers that need to talk to each other.
Google wants to make its vehicle-oriented Android operating system the brain of tomorrow’s cars, not just the force that powers many of today’s infotainment systems.
To make it happen, the American software giant is debuting a new, open-source version of its operating system called Android Automotive OS for Software Defined Vehicles (AAOS SDV). It was specifically designed to allow carmakers to integrate more technology into their upcoming models faster and, more importantly, at a lower cost.
Currently, the Android Automotive OS setup can communicate with different modules throughout the car and then display their state on the car’s central infotainment screen. In this approach, each component uses different programming that is sent to the car’s brain, and then Android Automotive OS gains access to the data.
With Android Automotive for Software Defined Vehicles, Google wants its software to take direct control over non-driving functions, becoming the brain of the vehicle and its components. When fully deployed, AAOS SDV will run everything from seat controls and climate control to lighting and displays, without having to play by third-party components’ rules.
According to Google, this will enable automakers to deliver quicker over-the-air software updates that can target individual vehicle components, not just the infotainment system. Better voice assistants, more proactive vehicle maintenance alerts, personalized driver profiles, and seamless remote cabin conditioning are also part of the list.
What’s more, developers can prepare the code for different components well before the actual hardware is ready, thanks to Google’s virtualization technology that’s baked into AAOS SDV. This allows developers in one part of the world to work on the same project at the same time as the hardware team on the other side of the world.
A big part of Google’s new effort comes down to a new standard signal catalog. Instead of using different programming techniques to control various components, the American company wants to bring car manufacturers and parts suppliers on the same page by using the same commands. Google claims this eliminates redundant engineering efforts and significantly reduces platform development costs, but it also means suppliers will be forced to adopt a new way of doing things that makes Google the de facto software base.
Apple tried to do a similar thing with CarPlay Ultra, but many automakers have pushed back on the idea of giving control to a separate entity. So far, Aston Martin is the only company to adopt CarPlay Ultra, with Porsche saying it would adopt it soon, too.
Google’s AAOS SDV is already powering Renault’s new Trafic e-Tech electric van, and it will become readily available to other companies later this year.
