Mercedes-Benz opens software integration plant in Sindelfingen
Mercedes-Benz has put its so-called Electric Software Hub into operation at the Mercedes Technology Center (MTC) in Sindelfingen. Numerous software, hardware, system integration and testing functions are located there under one roof. The company has invested more than 200 million euros in the centre.
With the Electric Software Hub, Mercedes-Benz is strengthening the role of the Sindelfingen location as a central development and qualification hub, according to the company. The interior of the new building reflects the entire electrical/electronic integration process of vehicle development. The vehicle manufacturer intends to make all new vehicle architectures electric from 2025 onwards, and the company is pursuing a holistic approach to vehicle software: from basic research and development to the coding of software scopes.
The new building has 70,000 square metres of space spread over eight levels: The upper floors house the software code creation and pre-integration labs, where employees test individual components using virtual technologies and simulations, among other things. According to Mercedes-Benz, even the complete simulation of a test in the vehicle is possible in the Electric Software Hub through the technology of the “digital test drive”.
The three lower levels are specially designed for laboratories, workshops and test benches. The vehicle test benches allow testing at temperatures from -30 to +50 degrees and speeds of up to 250 km/h.
In addition, the Electric Software Hub has 250 charging points. This allows a large number of different vehicles to be charged in parallel. According to the company, the systems in the Electric Software Hub reflect the different charging standards worldwide. This also applies to high-power charging.
In Sindelfingen alone, around 1,000 new jobs for software developers are to be created. Globally, up to 2,000 more jobs are to be added.
“The Electric Software Hub is an epicentre of our research and development and at the same time closely networked with the worldwide production sites. This is where key aspects of the future of Mercedes-Benz become reality – especially our own MB.OS operating system,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer responsible for Development and Purchasing. “The hardware and software are decoupled and must work together perfectly. We ensure this in the Electric Software Hub. It is our software integration factory.”
With reporting by Domenico Sciurti, Germany.
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