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2015-01-0196
Published 04/14/2015
Copyright © 2015 SAE International
doi:10.4271/2015-01-0196
saepcelec.saejournals.org

(R)evolution of E/E Architectures

Varun M. Navale and Kyle Williams
Robert Bosch LLC

Athanassios Lagospiris, Michael Schaffert, and Markus-Alexander Schweiker

Robert Bosch GmbH

ABSTRACT
This paper presents an overview of the evolution & revolution of automotive E/E architectures and how we at Bosch, envision the
technology in the future. It provides information on the bottlenecks for current E/E architectures and drivers for their evolution.

Functionalities such as automated driving, connectivity and cyber-security have gained increasing importance over the past few years. The
importance of these functionalities will continue to grow as these cutting-edge technologies mature and market acceptance increases.

Implementation of these functionalities in mainstream vehicles will demand a paradigm shift in E/E architectures with respect to
in-vehicle communication networks, power networks, connectivity, safety and security. This paper expounds on these points at a
system level.

CITATION: Navale, V., Williams, K., Lagospiris, A., Schaffert, M. et al., "(R)evolution of E/E Architectures," SAE Int. J. Passeng. Cars –
Electron. Electr. Syst. 8(2):2015, doi:10.4271/2015-01-0196.

INTRODUCTION
Electronics in automobiles has come a long way since their
introduction in this industry a few decades ago. Automobiles of today
rely on electronics more than ever before; to not only provide better
implementation of functionalities but also to provide new, paradigm
changing functionalities.

EVOLUTION/ REVOLUTION OF E/E

ARCHITECTURES
Automotive electronics has evolved from only providing non-critical
functionalities to assisting the driver in driving the vehicles of today.
From electro-mechanical components for sensing and actuation to higher Figure 1. Evolution/ Revolution of E/E architectures
performance microcontrollers that process heavy information and control
the vehicle, automotive electronics has evolved a great extent. Not only are electronics getting cheaper, driven by innovations from
consumer electronics, they are getting powerful every day, becoming
The trend of electrifying traditional pure mechanical systems has more capable of handling several functions in a vehicle. And thus, the
been ongoing for decades. From the introduction of ECUs that trend of integration of ECUs and functionalities will continue. Higher
handled single functions (one box-one function system) to ECUs integration of ECUs will enable ECUs to controlling domains in a
handling several functionalities in one box, there has been emphasis vehicle, thus becoming the master ECUs for each domain. Figure 1
on integrating functionalities into lesser number of ECUs. And this shows the progress of E/E Architectures, from a modular approach to
trend seems to continue further with cheaper and more powerful a more integrated approach leading to fusion of ECUs and domains
electronic devices being available for automotive systems. ultimately leading to centralized computers handling the core
functionalities of the vehicle.

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Further integration would mean integration of tightly linked domains, to accommodate such variability. The ideal future E/E architectures
enabling cross-domain ECUs. Our vision is that this trend will continue should readily accept these requirements with minimal effort. This
to eventually enable central vehicle computers which function as the will reduce the time to introduction of new innovations to the market.
masters of the vehicle. Not only this, but with better connectivity in the
coming years, there will arise the possibility of using the cloud
computing for processing intensive vehicle functionalities.
Bottlenecks in Today's E/E Architecture
Today's E/E Architectures have been capable of handling the
requirements of the past, but they may not be as effective for future
Technology Drivers requirements. There are several bottlenecks for implementing
Developments in automotive electronics have advanced by several tomorrow's functionalities into today's E/E Architecture patterns.
drivers that include market requirements and expectations, Figure 3 provides an overview to some of today's E/E Architecture
technology improvements and OEM/supplier strategies. These drivers bottlenecks: Communication bandwidth, external communication
will continue to influence the future of E/E architectures. Figure 2 (connectivity), increasing number of variants, computational power,
provides an overview of the various trend drivers for the evolution of extensibility and feasibility.
E/E Architectures.

Figure 3. Bottlenecks of today's E/E architectures

Figure 2. Drivers for evolution of E/E architectures
The first of which is in-vehicle communication networks, which are
Market expectations from the vehicles of today and tomorrow greatly today, primarily based on CAN with instances of FlexRay, LIN &
influences the E/E architectures of the future. The market today is MOST. Such in-vehicle communication networks provide bandwidth
only starting to accept alternate propulsion technologies such as capabilities that have been capable of handling the functionalities
electric hybrids and pure battery electric vehicles. In the future, the over the past several years. The same networks, however, may not be
market demand from a powertrain perspective will be more diverse. effective in handling the intense requirements for automated driving
The demand for powertrain technologies will range from the and connectivity. These functionalities require much higher
traditional pure internal combustion engine propulsion to more bandwidth, lower latency and higher security requirements.
radical pure electric and fuel cell propulsion systems along with Consequently, newer protocols such as automotive Ethernet and
combinations of pure combustion and pure electric systems. CAN-FD will be required for the in-vehicle communication networks
of the future.
On the non-powertrain front, the market expects highly integrated
functionalities such as automated driving. Enabling such technologies These future functionalities will also require ECUs that are more
in the vehicles of tomorrow will require a significant change in capable than the ECUs of today. Further integration of vehicle
today's E/E architecture to achieve the computational and functional functionalities will require future ECUs to have software mechanisms
effort required. Electronics that provide the computational strength to provide safe separation of functions via mechanisms for hardware
needed to enable these functions not only requires great virtualization like hypervisors.
improvements in today's processing requirements for ECUs but also
require improvements in sensing and actuation technologies while With newer, complex technologies, coupled with diverse propulsion
maintaining enough redundancies to achieve the required safety systems, there will be a need for E/E architectures that are capable of
levels. Scalable E/E architectures that provide the flexibility to handling several variants. This will enable manufacturers to meet a
integrate software from various sources will effectively enable the broad spectrum of market requirements and thereby reduce the costs
integration of new innovations. This will ultimately provide a of handling these variants with multiple architectures.
significant strategic advantage for manufacturers.
With the industry rapidly changing, there is a need to implement new
The market will also demand higher personalization and technologies into existing E/E architectures as swiftly as possible.
customization options in comfort and safety technologies. These The typical development cycle of 5-7 years will not be feasible for
technologies differ significantly in their attributes and component introducing new innovations in automotive E/E systems.
requirements, thus demanding higher flexibility in E/E architectures
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Future E/E architectures will have to be designed keeping the idea of standardized component blocks. The level of integration for domain
extensibility and feasibility in mind, which will provide strategic controllers will depend on the ratio between vehicle volumes vs.
advantage in being the ‘first to market’ for new technologies. development costs associated with it.

Key Technologies for Tomorrow's E/E Architecture IN-VEHICLE COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

There are a few key technologies in fulfilling the requirements and With the introduction of CAN in 1982 by Bosch, the modern vehicle
shaping the E/E architectures of tomorrow. These technologies will E/E architecture with interconnected ECUs started gaining traction
enable several new functionalities in the vehicles of tomorrow. Key and has continued to grow in complexity. Its capabilities have been
technologies such as advance gateways, connected vehicles, domain sufficient for moat applications in the past.
ECUs, new in-vehicle communication networks and new software
approaches are shown in Figure 4. However, the continuing growth in the number of electrical
components has lead to an increase in the data traffic that cannot be
supported through these CAN networks.

With growing market interest in automated driving, infotainment and

connectivity, there is a need to include these functionalities in
tomorrow's vehicles. Integrating these technologies will require a
significant change in the in-vehicle communication networks
architecture and protocols. Next generation architectures must be
designed to meet these future requirements.

New powertrain functionalities such as hybrid and electric drives will

also require in-vehicle communication protocols that provide higher
Figure 4. Key technologies for tomorrow's E/E architectures bandwidth than CAN. CAN-FD is a suitable upgrade since it provides
the necessary increase in bandwidth required to enable alternate
In-vehicle communication networks with newer standards such as powertrain and higher functions. CAN-FD is also suitable for the
automotive Ethernet will fulfill the requirements for higher body domain to account for the increasing number of comfort related
bandwidth while providing better security and safety measures. These body components along with providing extra bandwidth for future
characteristics help enable highly automated driving and high body functionalities. For chassis functionalities other than the driver
definition infotainment systems in vehicles. assistance sub-domain, CAN-FD will also provide the much needed
increase in bandwidth and enable higher functionalities.
With higher bandwidth in-vehicle communication networks,
advanced gateways with new routing mechanisms will provide low For driver assistance, infotainment and diagnostics, higher bandwidth
latencies and high throughput through hardware based acceleration. requirements will drive the implementation of faster protocols such as
In addition, hardware based acceleration mechanism will be required automotive Ethernet. Driver assistance functionalities consist of
to off load CPU's loads which will be generated by the introduction components requiring high data transfer rates to communicate with
of automotive Ethernet. each other. The significantly higher bandwidth achieved through using
Ethernet is advantageous in implementing driver assistance
Higher performance multi-core ECUs will enable integration of functionalities and provides a framework for highly automated driving
application software into ECUs. This can be achieved through functionalities. With the demand for high-definition infotainment
hardware virtualization methods like hypervisors. Hardware systems which may include several HD displays in the vehicle,
virtualization will enable further integration of ECUs. Ethernet will fulfill the bandwidth requirements for the infotainment
domain. To achieve faster diagnostics and software updates, Ethernet
With a growing number of use cases for connecting to the external will also be used. A higher and more widespread implementation of
world, such as over the air software updates, there will be an Ethernet in the all the domains will enable an Ethernet backbone
emphasis on utilizing its full benefits while keeping the vehicle structure, which will provide better inter-domain communication.
secure and safe from malicious attacks.
With the widespread utilization of Ethernet and Ethernet backbone
Domains such as infotainment, chassis systems, body electronics, architectures, there will be a need for central gateways to provide low
powertrain will be handled by additional domain controllers or latency. Such low latency requirements will be achieved through
integration platforms (e.g. engine control unit or ESP), that provide hardware based acceleration inside the central gateway.
high computing power and work as masters of the domain by
controlling and handling the higher level domain computations for Figure 5 shows a roadmap for communication network protocols.
the vehicle. And since domain ECUs will perform the bulk of the Different domains, depending on their network requirements, will
high level computation, current component blocks will handle only move towards new protocols to enable newer functionalities and
the basic component computations, thus enabling the possibility of improve existing ones.
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Figure 5. Bosch vision of E/E architecture in-vehicle communication networks

Figure 6. Domain ECUs for hardware virtualization

Domain ECUs and Integration Platforms
Domains in automotive electronics handle certain set of Integration of domain ECUs enables a much more transparent
functionalities. For example the infotainment domain consists of operation of cross-domain functionalities. Today, the chassis and
ECUs, sensors and actuators handling the infotainment related powertrain domains are considered as separate. With highly
functionalities of the vehicle. Domains provide proper segregation of automated driving functions, there will be a need for a tighter bond
ECUs according to their functionality and facilitate communication between the chassis and the powertrain domains and their respective
access to ECUs handling similar functionalities. Today's domains sensing and the actuation capabilities. The ADAS sensors will
require greater interaction between the ECUs within the domain. For provide environment information to the various functions in the
example, to enable highly automated driving functionalities, the vehicle. And these functions, performed by separate ECUs will
driver assistance components such as radars, cameras and ultrasonic provide signals to the vehicle's actuators (e.g., brakes, throttle, etc.).
sensors within the chassis domain require much stronger
intercommunication. As such, there is a need to have a single master In the coming years, the powertrain and driver assistance domain will
ECU that controls components providing similar functionalities. work closely with each other. The driver assistance domain ECU will
be the liaison between the sensors and the functionalities embedded
Continuing with the driver assistance domain example, consider in the chassis domain. Subsequently, the chassis and powertrain
today's system where different ADAS sensors preprocess data and domains will be merged, being coordinated by a functional arbitration
communicate the object data to the ECUs. This is effective for layer, to form vehicle motion control domain. This domain will work
partially automated systems such as adaptive cruise control and traffic with the driver assistance domain and the energy management system
jam assist. For higher automation, however, there is a need for more to control the vehicle. Such architecture will greatly simplify the
sensors and an ability to build an environment model using the data implementation of highly automated driving.
from these sensors. Some of these sensors will work together and
process the data, providing object information to the other sensors.
POWER NETWORKS
This would lead to a partially centralized domain wherein several sets
of sensors provide environment to each other. For enabling highly Today's power network is primarily based on 12V with the electrical
automated driving functionalities, there is a need to have a centralized loads powered by a 12V battery and an alternator. The market
sensor fusion system that consolidates the data it receives from the demand over the years has been for higher comfort functions along
sensors and performs simultaneous localization and mapping with more electrical components. These comfort based electrical
functions. Such a centralized ECU that works as the master of the components add additional load to the power network. 12V systems
driver assistance domain is a prime example of a domain ECU. work well with low current/ low power requirements, but will not
work as well for high power requirements. To electrify high load
As shown in figure 6, domain ECUs as integration platforms will components such as a turbocharger or an HVAC system, a 12V power
have several key properties. Since these kinds of ECUs will perform network is inefficient due to the thicker cables required to fulfill high
heavy computations, they will consist of many core or multi core current requirements, which also add extra weight and costs.
processing units. They will house different application software for
the different functionalities and components in the domain. 48V systems provide a low voltage solution to these issues. With four
Hypervisors will provide the required hardware virtualization for safe times the voltage that a 12V powernet provides, only one fourth of
separation of these functionalities. the current is required when compared to a comparably powered 12V
component. The higher voltage and lower current of a 48V system
yields significant efficiency improvements.
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A 48V electric machine designed for boosting and recuperation

provides a good cost-benefit ratio for manufacturers to reduce CO2
emissions. And since 48V electric machines, in general, provide
better efficiency and more recuperation when compared to 12V
electric machines, the CO2 benefit achieved from a 48V electric
machine is higher. Hence a 48V BRS system is the primary enabler
Figure 8. Solid state devices and their impact on future power
for a 48V powernet, providing the necessary framework to move high
network architectures
load consumers from 12V to 48V

Implementing a dual powernet consisting of 48V and 12V systems CONNECTIVITY

provides a smooth transition of components from 12V to 48V over There is an increasing demand to connect vehicles to the external
the lifetime of the powernet architecture. The dual powernet world. This connectivity enables several use cases for future vehicles
architecture is coupled using a bidirectional power converter unit. and transportation systems. These use cases include using head unit
High load components such as, A/C compressors, blower motors, displays to surf the internet and access online services; connecting
windshield heaters can be shifted from 12V to 48V to provide better vehicles with each other to achieve car to car connected driving,
results in performance and efficiency. Furthermore, the higher power connecting vehicles to the infrastructure to achieve automated
transfer capability of 48V powernet enables several vehicle parking and other services; and updating vehicles through over-the-
components such as turbochargers, to be electrified, thus reducing the air updates etc.
loads on the combustion engine and provides better performance. A
simple dual voltage powernet coupled by a DC-DC converter is Today, a connectivity control unit/ module primarily handle the
shown in figure 7. connectivity to the outside of the vehicle wherein the exchanged data
set is pre-defined. To enable various use cases for connected vehicles,
the ability of the electrical systems in the vehicle to access the
connectivity units and the outside world will be possible. Thus, there
will be several points in the vehicle that may see connectivity. This is
shown in figure 9.

Figure 7. 48V Powernet topology with 48V and 12V loads

Solid State Devices & Powernet Backbone

The powernet of today include fuses and relays to protect and control
electrical loads. These traditional fuses need to be replaced when
blown which requires them to be housed in easily accessible
locations. With an ever increasing number of electrical components,
this requirement leads to higher routing complexity, longer cables
Figure 9. Possible realizations for connected E/E architecture
lengths and higher cable weights and costs. Furthermore, current
electro-magnetic fuses and relays consume a lot of energy. Thus, With connectivity becoming more widespread, new services with higher
there is a need to provide solutions to not only simplify the layout of demand for data volume, data rate and real-time availability will be
the powernet but to also make it more efficient. added. In a moving vehicle this has to be dealt with changing service
conditions with possible gaps in network coverage. Therefore,
Solid state relays and fuses have better efficiency and lower weights management of the quality of service is needed to handle such scenarios.
than traditional electro-magnetic relays and fuses. Unlike electro-
magnetic fuses, solid state fuses require no maintenance, thus In order to effectively implement such features, these use cases must
enabling the possibility to position the fuses in strategic location to be considered when designing future E/E Architectures.
reduce the complexity of the powernet layout. A new layout would
provide better routing and reduce cable length, cost and weight. They
feature also better lifetime and advanced diagnosis of failures. Figure SAFETY & SECURITY
8. provides an example showcasing the reduction in complexity of With more electronic systems providing sensitive safety
powernet routing by enabling a powernet backbone through solid functionalities in tomorrow's vehicles, protecting the vehicle from
state fuses and relays. malicious attacks will be important for the automotive industry.
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Primary attack vectors, such as connectivity units used for

communicating outside the vehicle must be protected via firewalling, CONTACT INFORMATION
thus making sure only the required relevant data gets transferred/ Varun Navale
communicated through these vectors. This outermost layer, consisting Robert Bosch LLC
of attack vectors, must be protected and is layer 4 in the figure. [email protected]
Phone: +1(248)568-3224
Layer 3 in the figure is based on protecting the E/E architecture.
Domains have to be protected by separating domains with different Athanassios Lagospiris
security risks. The central gateway plays an important role in this Robert Bosch GmbH
layer, providing the functionality of monitoring the traffic for [email protected]
abnormal behavior and access. Phone: +49(172)4118313

Layer 2 is for secure communication between the different Michael Schaffert

components in the given domain. Protecting the integrity of critical Robert Bosch GmbH
in-vehicle signals is the main purpose for this layer. [email protected]
Phone: +49(160)7023554
Layer 1 form the lowermost layer in this approach. It consists of the
Markus-Alexander Schweiker
trust anchors for security in the vehicle. These trust anchors, such as
Robert Bosch GmbH
HSM, are embedded in the individual ECUs and protect the integrity
[email protected]
of the ECU SW and data.
Phone: +49(160)90418397

With the increasing application of electronics for controlling Kyle Williams

vehicle functionalities, cyber-security is and will be essential in Robert Bosch LLC
securing vehicles. [email protected]
Phone: +1(248)561-4616

CONCLUSIONS
Driven by market expectations along with technological and strategic DEFINITIONS/ABBREVIATIONS
requirements, E/E architectures will need to significantly evolve to ADAS - advanced driver assistance systems
overcome current bottlenecks and fulfill future communication,
BRS - boost recuperation system
power, connectivity and security requirements.
CAN - controller area network
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CAN-FD - controller area network flexible data

HD - high definition
HSM - hardware security module
HVAC - heating ventilation & air conditioning
LIN - local interconnect network
MOST - media oriented systems transport
powernet - power network
SW - software

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