Lifecycle powertrain services

Bosch assists vehicle manufacturers with their validation in the form of data that can be at accessed at any time and from anywhere as well as analyses on component and system level. Regardless of where the test vehicles are located, the validation processes become more flexible and efficient thanks to the location-independent service. Instead of conducting on-site tests with individual vehicles, the entire validation fleet can be included in the remote analysis under all environmental conditions. With its comprehensive domain expertise, Bosch offers solution-specific algorithms that enable precise behavior analysis and the detection of behavior patterns, which in turn facilitates reliable identification of critical vehicle applications. Countermeasures can be devised on the basis of real data and subsequently introduced and validated before the start of production. This accelerates the market launch of new vehicles and enhances the robustness of the overall system in volume application, which in turn contributes to higher quality, increased vehicle availability, and greater customer satisfaction.

Even if production vehicles are already in the hands of customers during the production ramp-up phase, the Bosch services allow manufactures to further enhance their vehicles and ensure their safe and secure operation. For this purpose, vehicle signals are analyzed with domain-specific algorithms and aggregated efficiently on the vehicle itself. The field data is then transferred to the cloud, where it undergoes further analyses with regard to potential residual risks and testing gaps. Due to the high number of vehicles included in the process as well as the use of different driver types and environmental conditions, the evaluations achieve a high level of statistical certainty. In particular, new products or vehicle types can be made safer and more secure in early volume production due to early development of countermeasures – for example, in the form of over-the-air software updates – before any failures can occur. Moreover, follow-up applications can be introduced into the market more quickly. When transferring vehicles or products to new markets, the validation can also take place directly in the target market.

Bosch’s smart service allows vehicle manufacturers to practice efficient quality management based on field data without the need for any elaborate disassembly and physical examination of the affected components, for example. Using dedicated domain algorithms, the load profiles and utilization of systems and components can be permanently monitored in the cloud compared with their capabilities. This also supports the optimization of components in the medium-term, specifically with regard to durability, load-handling capabilities and costs (“fit for intended use”). In addition, the service provides early failure warnings and enables the evaluation of failure risks based on onboard diagnostics of all vehicles worldwide. This allows vehicle manufacturers to react to reported anomalies in volume production at an early stage and devise suitable countermeasures. This reduces the costs for measures in the field, for example, by preventing the proliferation of affected components.

With its connected powertrain services, Bosch enables remote determination of the actual state of health of the powertrain and its components, while also helping to increase vehicle availability and raise the quality of online end-customer services (OEM Uptime Center). Diagnostic and powertrain data collected in the vehicle is pre-processed in the vehicle control unit before being transferred to the cloud. For analysis purposes, Bosch employs hybrid algorithms, which combine artificial intelligence with comprehensive domain expertise about effect chains. Depending on the expansion stage, the system not only functions reactively by reliably identifying faulty components in the case of unclear onboard diagnostics, but can also proactively predict any impending failures on the basis of detected anomalies and effectively forecast the remaining service life. Moreover, vehicle manufacturers automatically receive concrete recommendations regarding diagnostics, maintenance, and repair, thereby enabling optimum planning of workshop visits for their customers.

Bosch services also support their users in the workshop and ensure efficient diagnostic and repair processes. Health data (remote state of health) from the vehicle is employed to perform targeted troubleshooting, in which many of the traditional diagnostic steps can simply be skipped. In combination with knowledge bases and comprehensive domain expertise, the remaining test steps are sequenced in a manner that further minimizes the time required for the troubleshooting process. Error sources can thus be identified more quickly and the right component replaced without delay. All of this ultimately leads to shorter workshop stays, reduced costs, and increased customer satisfaction. Workshops also benefit from a data-based evaluation of dismantled components, allowing them to better judge whether these are suitable for remanufacturing.