Optimizing Aftersales for Software-Defined Vehicles

Vector, a leading automotive technology company based in Germany, has introduced a groundbreaking approach to aftersales diagnostics and programming for software-defined vehicles. The new offering, known as vService, is set to revolutionize the way diagnostics are handled from the engineering phase to aftersales support.

vService from Vector represents a paradigm shift in the automotive industry by leveraging connectivity and data to prepare aftersales processes for the era of next-generation Software-Defined Vehicles. With emerging vehicle technologies posing new challenges for aftersales operations, vService aims to address these challenges by integrating over-the-wire and over-the-air connectivity solutions.

One of the key features of vService is its open approach to connectivity, utilizing industry-standard protocols such as J2534 and D-PDU API for wired connections. Additionally, the platform can seamlessly connect over-the-air through Service-Oriented Vehicle Diagnostics (SOVD) or existing vehicle APIs, providing flexibility and compatibility across different systems.

vService facilitates continuous delivery of diagnostic content directly from design data, enabling real-time collaboration between workshops and manufacturers for swift issue resolution. By encouraging technicians to share diagnostic insights and outcomes in a collaborative environment, vService minimizes vehicle downtime and enhances operational efficiency.

Moreover, vService enhances observability in aftersales fleets by aggregating over-the-air and over-the-wire data to generate actionable insights. Manufacturers can proactively address emerging issues by tracing problems to individual vehicles using historical data and remote commands, eliminating the need for physical workshop visits.

Furthermore, vService simplifies update management and ensures R156 compliance for software-defined vehicles by supporting update campaigns with a combination of over-the-air and over-the-wire delivery methods. This allows OEMs to optimize download channels for updates without duplication or system reconciliation, while also providing support for independent repairers as a standard feature.

"With vService, we aimed to create a transformative solution that streamlines diagnostic content development, update management, issue identification, and resolution processes, regardless of the vehicle's connectivity method," said Matt Monnington, Product Manager for vService at Vector. "This presents a significant opportunity to enhance aftersales agility and efficiency."

For more information about vService and Vector's innovative solutions, visit www.vector.com/vservice.