[Mobility Inside] How Software-Defined Vehicles Are Conquering the Mobility World

Today, some of the most widely used features in the latest vehicles, such as infotainment, telematics, ADAS, OTA and security, rely almost completely on the software they employ. As a result, the vehicle software powerhouses of the world are now the ones paving the way forward for a sector that plays a major role in most people’s daily lives.

There’s not much one can do about a smartphone’s old hardware, but its software, like the operating system (OS), apps and security it employs, is a completely different story as it can be brought up to date through regular updates supplied by the maker. And at long last, this benefit has reached the automotive world thanks to the emergence of Software Defined Vehicle (SDV), a breakthrough that allows vehicles to get better with age.

Since SDV has become immensely popular in the mobility space, the stronger the mobility company is, the more diverse the information it acquires and its areas of work become. So, how exactly is LG pioneering the ever-evolving automotive ecosystem based on SDV? Let’s explore some of the distinct driving experiences this incredibly advanced technology delivers.

SDV, the Future of Travel

While SDV can be sorted into CASE (Connectivity, Autonomous, Sharing, Electrification), they share one thing in common – sophisticated software that helps them connect, develop and operate. Software has developed at such an incredible pace in recent years that it’s now even more important than the vehicle’s hardware when it comes to its performance, aesthetics and characteristics, which is why they’re being called “smartphones on wheels.”

Currently, most global premium automakers are developing SDV and applying it to their newest models. LG, which develops automotive solutions for some of the biggest car brands in the world, is a leading provider of infotainment, telematics, center information display (CID) and advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) solutions.

A More Seamless Mobility Experience, Courtesy of SDV

Among the long list of SDV benefits, perhaps the most valuable to customers is the seamless travel experience it enables through over-the-air (OTA), which unlocks even more enjoyable and convenient driving experiences for drivers and passengers alike.

Unlike cars with internal combustion engines which must be released with fixed hardware specs, SDV provides the hardware in advance and then allows the software to set driving performance features and options through the wonders of OTA. What this means is that car specs at the time of purchase are not set in stone and, rather, they can be changed according to the user’s preferences later on – and they don’t even have to visit a service center to do so.

Besides navigation and infotainment, SDV can be used to improve the performance of wipers, cameras, batteries, seat belts and brakes, which can be updated via OTA for the connected car experience that gets newer and smarter every day without the replacement of parts. What’s more, it matches the user’s driving habits with optimal driving routes, in-car temperatures and subscription services.

Much more than a software management system, SDV links with the external transportation infrastructure and other smart devices to make daily life even more convenient. Running low on fuel on the way to work? This innovation suggests the most efficient stopover at a charging station. It can also connect some functions to a smartphone app, giving users remote control. And, if there’s a vehicle in the next lane driving erratically or an abnormality in the road ahead, SDV can detect the hazard in quick time and then enhance safety to protect occupants against the risks that humans cannot judge fast enough.

Taking Life’s Good on the Road

In September 2023, LG announced its vision at ‘IAA Mobility 2023’ in Munich, Germany. This unveiling included news on the vehicle infotainment system – a key future mobility tech that provides various driving information and entertainment features at once, high-capacity telematics, digital interfaces (digital cockpit) and LG’s advanced technologies, such as the big data and cloud innovations that manage and analyze vehicle data to provide automakers with a differentiated SDV solution.

LG is securing the global competitiveness it needs to grow into a top-tier vehicle components company through its wide range of technologies for each domain, including software for CID which includes infotainment, telematics and ADAS software. LG’s core competitiveness comes from its vast expertise in consumer electronics and its insight into the customer experiences relating to home appliances, home entertainment and displays.

In the SDV era, where software is king, LG will do everything it can to deliver the most comprehensive mobility solutions to leading carmakers based on its vast know-how.