Automotive Research and Development Solutions

Automotive development

We work with automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their suppliers to help bring safer, smarter automotive and in-vehicle electronic technologies to the market. With the integration of kVA, Method Park, and Kugler Maag, we have expanded our automotive portfolio services throughout the entire evolution cycle, from early design development to end-product optimization.

Quality Management System (QMS) for the automotive industry

Automotive SPICE® (ASPICE) is a model that provides a solid basis for improving and evaluating business processes by defining requirements for mechatronics systems with a focus on software and system components.

ASPICE serves multiple project areas, such as:

• Determination of workflows' status
• Assessment of suppliers’ process quality
• Risk assessment for selecting suppliers
• Growth of maturity levels

We can support you with:

• Achieving the required capability levels within your key processes in development
• Systematically improving existing workflows and methods
• Evaluating the status of your process improvements through formal assessments and gap analysis
• Fulfilling the requirements of ASPICE
• Training your staff and assessors

Stages Process Management Software

Autonomous, AI-driven and other software-intensive products are complex to develop and support. Trusted processes are the core for safe, secure, and sustainable products and an agile, resilient business.

Stages supports the whole process journey, from initial modelling to integrated process execution at a large scale.

With a systematic best practice approach, Stages can help you:

• Involve all stakeholders in modeling the processes
• Gather immediate insights from pilot users to achieve early process adoption
• Use tailored processes across programs, projects, and teams
• Integrate with toolchains and put the processes to work
• Continuously monitor compliance and incorporate feedback

Automotive functional safety services

We help bring clarity to functional safety process, assessment and compliance. Our advanced approach to advising and evaluating the functional safety aspects of products and systems across many industries enables us to help you successfully address functional safety challenges.

Defining functional safety in today's systems

Functional safety is about reducing the risks of simple and complex systems, such that they function safely in the event there is an electrical or electronic malfunction. As more automotive products incorporate complex microelectronics and software into their design, it is becoming increasingly challenging for quality and safety engineers to assess and implement functional safety at the system level.

How UL Solutions helps shape the functional safety landscape

UL Solutions is dedicated to helping customers navigate the complex technical and regulatory challenges of today’s functional automotive safety landscape. With our extensive certification expertise and holistic approach to safety engineering and assessment, we can help customers identify, specify and determine the functional safety of products and systems to key standards and ratings.

Autonomous vehicle safety technology

The promised benefits of autonomous vehicles are significant, but the complexities of full driving automation, paired with the sheer number of competitors with widely different algorithmic solutions, introduce considerable safety challenges. As such, many have yet to develop trust in the technology.  

Safety becomes even more critical when introducing a disruptive technology with critical decisions that rely on the functional safety of software and systems. A deep understanding and alignment to industry safety standards will be necessary to help innovators manage complexity and build confidence in autonomous technologies.  

Safety standards for vehicles

Because autonomous technology spans software, electrical and traditional mechanical systems, manufacturers must consider a host of existing standards and emerging industry best practices to address safety at the various levels of driving automation.

ANSI/UL 4600, the standard for safety for the evaluation of autonomous products

UL Solutions’ nonprofit affiliates, UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, partnered with industry experts and innovators to develop and launch UL 4600, which addresses safety principles and processes for evaluating fully autonomous products requiring no human driver supervision. This safety case approach provides the flexibility needed to help protect safety while supporting the rapid development of the technology.

ISO 26262: Road vehicles – Functional safety

ISO 26262 is the automotive standard applicable to safety-related electrical or electronic (E/E) systems in vehicles. ISO 26262 emphasizes functional safety management in the event of a system failure due to malfunctions or bugs in the E/E system and is a crucial factor in driving automation safety.

ISO 21448: Road vehicles – Safety of the intended functionality

ISO 21448 for the safety of the intended functionality (SOTIF) addresses unintended behavior of systems in absence of ISO 26262 faults. This standard applies to advanced drive assistance and emergency intervention systems. While complementary to ISO 26262, ISO 21448 is a separate standard and can be considered for various levels of automation, as defined by SAE International’s standard, J3016, however additional measures may be necessary to achieve SOTIF for higher levels of automation.

ISO/SAE 21434: Automotive cybersecurity

ISO/SAE 21434 specifies the requirements for cybersecurity risk management for road vehicles including their components and interfaces. ISO 21434 spans the product lifespan, from concept, design, development and production through operation, maintenance and decommissioning and is vital for reducing vulnerability to cyber attack.

Advisory and consulting services for vehicle safety

UL Solutions offers multiple educational and advisory solutions to help you navigate the complexity of autonomous vehicle safety. We can help you:

• Gain insights on the interpretation and application of relevant safety standards and best practices such as UL 4600, ISO 26262 and ISO 21448
• Understand security protocols related to ISO 21434
• Explore implementing these standards into your development programs
• Evaluate end-to-end verification and validation of autonomous vehicles

Advances in automotive technology introduce increased risk

Interconnected products and systems can be targeted by attackers who manipulate software vulnerabilities and weak links in ecosystems. In automotive, a cyberattack introduces additional risk to public safety, which is why building cybersecurity into connected products and systems is crucial to the safe adoption of modern automotive technologies.

UL Solutions can provide guidance and support to help OEMs and automotive component and system manufacturers navigate complexity and develop a framework for automotive cybersecurity standards and best practices. Through expert gap analysis, training and advisory services, we help you identify and manage software vulnerabilities and cyber risk, leading to more trustworthy and secure innovations with improved market access across the globe.