Onboard diagnostics now available for electric vehicles

Vector Informatik provides a directly usable toolchain for the new diagnostic standard ZEVonUDS (SAE J1979-3). The new standard also offers onboard diagnostics (OBD) for EVs/ZEVs and PHEVs. Tools must be produced to fit the new standard over all areas of vehicle diagnostics.

ZEVonUDS is being released to read out specific measurement data from EVs with a scan tool. This comprises, for example, the battery state-of-health, which is employed as a quantitative parameter in defining the residual value of an EV. CARB uses the SAE J1979-3 standard to record repairs on EVs and PHEVs registered for sale in California.

New challenges arise for the ECU software and diagnostic testers, particularly for startups in the ZEV field. These startups did not have to support onboard diagnostics in the past - but must implement ZEVonUDS over a relatively short timeframe. This needs a fundamental shift in the ECU software – also, the new standard needs new development tools for specifying, testing, and applying diagnostics.

The company already provides an integrated toolchain for the new SAE standard. This supports all stages of development, from the specification of the relevant OBD content with CANdelaStudio, via implementation in ECU software with MICROSAR and its validation with CANoe.DiVa, to application in the diagnostic tester ('scan tool') with Indigo.