Electromobility

Embedded software in charging infrastructure

Electromobility is on everyone's lips and the widespread use of electric vehicles is only just beginning. What we do know is that the charging infrastructure is a decisive building block for the commercial success of electric engines. Crucial for the wide acceptance are the intuitive operation of the charging stations and the embedding of the charging infrastructure in a holistic concept providing the user with a real added value, e. g. when parking.

Task

The interfaces between the charging infrastructure and external systems are defined on the basis of the requirements analysis. The model-based approach of Berner & Mattner offers the advantage of using executable models, facilitating the verification of processes together with the customer at very early development stages. These models also facilitate the important comprehensive communication with the vehicle.

Intuitive operation of the charging systems

Two factors are crucial during the software development for the charging infrastructure:

• It is essential to have an intuitive workflow-oriented operating procedure with a modern user interface.
• The surface design should be exchangeable without affecting the functionality in order to fulfill the requirements of the charging station provider.

Central software: early load tests are crucial

The challenges during the central software development are different in nature: The basis is an extensible software architecture applying modern internet-based technology which supports the dynamic binding of adapters to external systems without disrupting the running system as a whole.

The development of automated test environments through hardware simulation (SiL - Software in the Loop) allows for the parallel development of software and hardware as well as the early execution of load tests to prove that the center will meet the expected number of charging cycles in the future.

Modern technology at Berner & Mattner

Berner & Mattner relies on modern and proven technologies for the development of user interfaces such as WPF and XAML, achieving clearly defined interfaces between design and functionality. They can be transferred to production software by external users in real time. Reliable continuous integration platforms with automated module, integration and system tests (e. g. VMWare, Jenkins, nUnit) are used for the development and tests. Not only test cases within the business logic are covered, but also automated GUI tests. This is possible by considering testability already during the definition of the software architecture (design for testability) and the strict adherence to design patterns like MVVM (Model- View-View Model).