Links to other roadmaps

Relevant engineering, manufacturing and operational data such as performance and reliability, environmental impact and overall cost-effectiveness must be analysed concurrently for a more holistic approach to overall product efficiency.

Models and simulations that reliably represent vehicles usage need to be developed. These will provide contextual information for assessment and decision making of product attributes.

Multi-physics models & simulations of the representative technologies, alternative and novel material behaviours, and manufacturability – especially with the increasing adoption of additive manufacturing – will be fundamental to achieving desired quality.

Predictive and machine learning technologies will increasingly become self-improving, enhancing software and sensor performances in engineering, manufacturing and operations, maximising efficiency and lifespan. Eventually, the advancement in AI will lead to self-updating algorithms on immediate operating conditions.

A digital, data driven requirements management & lifecycle analysis process is needed for increasing system complexities. The digital thread will capture and incorporate product life data in upstream design processes, enabling a dynamic, comprehensive requirements and virtual lifecycle modelling.

For technologies, the focus will be set on materials, product and process lifecycle to an increased degree as more novel battery technologies, fuel cells, stack configurations and material processes emerge. Design for Net-zero and disassembly should be accounted by the digital tools, increasing efficiency whilst maintaining economic viability.

Increasing connectivity between product, infrastructure and services guarantees a holistic approach to product efficiency and compliance to regulations (e.g. the progressive introduction of Zero-Emission zones) through connected BMS and autonomy functionalities for high performance, moving to Buses and Coaches, Light Duty, Heavy goods and Off-highway vehicles, for example.

Rapid feedback to the design process is an opportunity to ensure users and more general market requirements are satisfied. Increasing multi-material solutions and overall system efficiency will lead to novel manufacturing processes, including adoption of high-volume additive manufacturing, perfectly suited to automatically integrate process related parameters into simulations.

Increased use of software (e.g. BMS) to collect in-field data will allow for flexibility in rapidly adapting to user needs, regulations and requirements within the engineering and manufacturing processes.

Mapping and understanding skills requirements were out-of-scope.

Enabling cross organisational data sharing is fundamental: the type of data to be transferred between vehicles and infrastructure, their accuracy, and how they will be captured and stored needs to be defined. In the longer term, the governance of data handling will become increasingly important to efficiently ensure safety and security.

Initial use of modelling & simulation is in sensor engineering and operational and implementation areas. Promising applications include ADS and Ergonomics and Design. Embedding concurrent performances, costs and manufacturability evaluations in models whilst improving accuracy and computational speed are key to accelerating a holistic approach towards the complexity of product creation processes and output.

Interoperability between multiple models is pivotal for simulation and exploitation of digital twins in future supersystem environments. Compatible digital twins will allow analysis of richer data sets on people, cities and vehicles together, supporting future integrated journey scheduling. CAM Testbed UK is working to establish a standardised, collaborative and interoperable virtual environment across the testbeds, to provide capabilities to future national digital twins.

The seamless integration between physical infrastructure and digital ecosystem through the digital thread is key for connected and self-driving vehicles to offer frictionless end-to-end journeys. It also needs to be compatible with the overall organisational approach to Dynamic Digital Enterprise, guaranteeing full exploitation of in-field data for product design.

An assurance process reliant on multiple digital technologies is key to accelerate the product to market. Relevant Operational Design Domain definition and testing is a core challenge in the shift towards Virtual Verification & Validation. An increasing collaboration with CAM Testbed UK to implement further X-in-the-Loop capabilities will ensure a long-term full test and validation process on virtual test beds.
New methodologies based on opportunities that digitalisation offers need to be formalised, through an initial framework for advanced trial approvals that will support Virtual Certification. It is suggested to engage with certification agencies from the start and cooperate in validating specific functionalities in a virtual environment, shifting focus from product to process certification. A national approval scheme and international approval alignment of some functionalities are the medium term targets.

To handle vehicle data efficiently, the development of sophisticated digital infrastructure solutions for connectivity is required. Understanding safety use cases is the priority for infrastructure development, followed by the design and execution of a plan with the required coverage and network resilience across the UK.

Digital infrastructure, connectivity and automated driving systems will expose the system to threats over security. Research and development of best practice through the development of a centre of excellence for cybersecurity and a national threat database is the key in the short term , followed by MOT procedure for cybersecurity considerations in a mid-term.

Both roadmaps acknowledge the fundamental importance of people in the transformation process. The need for a top-down commitment from the leadership, a bottom-up uptake and partnerships are fully supported. A new skills pipeline activity will be starting in the short term, which will lead to an education and upskilling programme across schools, universities, industry and government. Examples are the proposed cybersecurity and CAM skills centre of excellence.