Software Validation for Electric Vehicles

Software development increasingly sets the pace for vehicle validation. Due to shorter development cycles and more frequent software releases, engineering teams must perform sufficient regression testing in every iteration. Yet conventional validation approaches often force a trade-off: fast testing with limited coverage, or broader and more realistic testing that takes too long and relies heavily on physical vehicle prototypes.

For electric powertrains, the challenge is even greater. Meaningful validation of power electronics requires realistic voltage and power flow to capture relevant electrical interactions. At the same time, testing must remain fast enough to fit within agile software development cycles.

This white paper examines how system-level software regression testing can close this gap. It explains why established validation methods reach their limits, why electrical interactions across the complete driving and charging system matter, and how AVL Copper Car TS™ combines original vehicle architecture with high-precision emulation.

Real ECUs, the original wiring harness and vehicle chassis are retained, while batteries, electric motors and auxiliary systems are emulated. This enables broader regression test coverage at test speeds comparable to Hardware-in-the-Loop testing.

Discover how vehicle validation can keep pace with software development while reducing prototype dependency and enabling faster, more predictable development feedback.