Vehicle supervisor control software

Unlock efficiency, safety and sustainability with next-generation vehicle supervisor control software designed for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Manage and coordinate complex vehicle systems

Ricardo’s vehicle supervisor control software essentially acts as the central intelligence system (the brain) in hybrid and electric vehicles (HEV / BEV), seamlessly integrating and optimising all vehicle systems, which is crucial to maximise efficiency, performance and safety.

Designed for all types of electric and hybrid powertrains and compatible with numerous hardware controllers, this versatile software manages increasingly variable and complex automotive systems by intelligently managing their functions to deliver a smoother, more dynamic, and eco-friendly driving experience.

Control Strategy

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Unlock efficiency, performance and safety with Ricardo's vehicle supervisor control software

Ricardo’s vehicle supervisor control software is suitable for a wide range of vehicle applications including commercial vehicles, off-highway, special vehicles, passenger car, motorcycles and motorsport as well as maritime and aerospace.

The software provides a flexible, scalable and compliant solution to develop high performance, safe and efficient electric and hybrid vehicles while significantly reducing development time and costs.

Efficiency: streamline vehicle development by reducing the time required to build both demonstration and production vehicles. 

Performance: ensure precise control over critical vehicle functions, enhance responsiveness, reliability, and overall operational capabilities. 

Safety: developed in accordance with relevant industry functional safety standards, the software incorporates robust compliance and safety measures as it can dynamically adjust vehicle parameters based on real-time conditions. 

Why use Ricardo’s vehicle supervisor control software?

  • Minimise costs by 50% by having full control of your software platform, allowing you to manage future development and use across multiple programmes without having to rely on external suppliers, redevelop software for each new project nor have to pay additional licensing fees.
  • Reduce time to market by 40% with demonstration vehicles able to be configured in 2 months and a production ready vehicle in 1 year.
  • Full transparency and ability to tailor a fully developed solution, including initial requirements to software, simulation models, test plans, and safety diagnostics. Ricardo’s software is able to be customised to your specific systems or available as a ‘white box’ off the shelf solution.
  • Optimise and scale with ease, enabling seamless extensions and upgrades without compromising functionality, while easily adapting to multiple vehicle types through simple calibration adjustments.
  • A robust, trusted and proven solution validated with over 40 customer projects in the last 10 years. Delivering reliable performance across a diverse range of OEM applications and accredited to industry standards.

Functionality of vehicle supervisor control software

The controller software (H/VCU) is the core controller of any BEV / HEV.
Standard Advanced
  • Interpret driver inputs, seamlessly handling signals from pedals, steering, and vehicle sensors
  • Controls electric and hybrid systems and manages the energy flow
  • Distributes torque intelligently, coordinating motors, battery and ICE powertrain for seamless power delivery
  • Performs electrical system management (HV-LV), ensuring optimal power distribution across high and low voltage systems
  • Ensures functional safety compliance to ISO 26262, along with diagnostics and other system functions, to maintain system health and reliability.
  • Dynamic all-wheel drive (AWD) and torque vectoring (TVC)​, enhancing stability, agility, and performance
  • Vehicle motion control (VMC), coordinating AWD/TVC with rear-wheel steering and other chassis controls​
  • Vehicle state estimators which serve as the foundation for dynamic AWD, TVC and VMC​
  • Predictive energy management (PEM), optimising energy management based on road conditions ahead​
  • Integrated thermal management seamlessly integrates vehicle and cabin thermal control within the control​ software.

 

Vehicle supervisor control software Resources

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Meet the experts

Cesare Giordano

Cesare Giordano

Head of Software Strategy

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Dave Read

Dave Read

Head of DTS

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James Inggall

James Inggall

Global Head of Design and Development

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Gareth Milton BW

Dr Gareth Milton

Global Head of Software, Control & Application Engineering

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Related markets

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