Automotive Software Updates Assessment

What is the current market situation for automotive software update Procedures?

The introduction of UN Regulation 156 will make the approval of software updates mandatory for all vehicles with such capabilities. The regulation covers requirements for vehicle and component software updates, but also for a Software Update Management System (SUMS). Automotive manufacturers must therefore maintain a certified SUMS, which must be assessed and renewed at least every three years.

For EU type approval, the European Union’s framework for vehicle type approval (2018/858) requires software update compliance with the UN Regulation 156. The UN regulation’s requirements harmonise with the ISO 24089 “Road vehicles – Software engineering” standard. The UN Regulation 156 requires security and safety to be enforced across the entire automotive software update mechanism.

An assessment of an automotive software update engineering framework identifies a manufacturer’s level of conformity to the UN Regulation 156.

Why is the assessment of automotive software update Procedures important?

Without the implementation, operation, and maintenance of a software update management system (SUMS), manufacturers cannot gain type approval for software-update enabled vehicles and will not be able to sell them in European markets. Manufacturers must therefore provide evidence that the requirements for the vehicle software updates and the software update processes are implemented according to the UN regulation. Serving as potential evidence, an ISO 24089 assessment or certification may be used.

An efficient and systematic assessment by an independent third-party is necessary to identify a manufacturer’s level of conformity to the UN Regulation 156. Our assessment verifies your organisation’s ability to develop and maintain a reliable as well as safe and secure software update mechanism and associated processes. Additionally, you can ensure that a component, or even the entire vehicle can perform software updates safely and securely – giving you the required evidence to gain EU type approval.

TÜV SÜD helps manufacturers comply with UN requirements

Our TÜV SÜD experts can help you understand the UNECE requirements and how they affect your products and systems. We support you to identify compliance gaps in your processes and how they can be closed. Furthermore, we can assist you in ensuring that your software update processes fulfil UN Regulation 156 requirements, so you can achieve certification of your software update management system, which can be provided by TÜV SÜD’s Technical Service.

Our experts are actively involved in the latest automotive software update and cybersecurity engineering standards development activities (e.g. ISO 24089, ISO/SAE 21434 and ISO/IEC 5888), providing our clients with the most up-to-date knowledge of current and future requirements.

TÜV SÜD also participates in relevant UNECE committees, developing software update and cybersecurity regulations (UNECE WP.29 GRVA). We were also involved in the development of the first technical guideline in Singapore (TR68-3) for the secure and safe deployment of fully autonomous vehicles. Our systematic and holistic assessment reports enable you to verify your capability to produce safe and secure automotive components for connected and automated vehicles with update capabilities.

By partnering with TÜV SÜD, you gain the following benefits:

We support you to minimise risk by ensuring your processes, vehicles and components fulfil all software update requirements so that they receive type approval and can be sold on the market.
We assist you in minimising time to market by improving the efficiency of your software update and type approval processes
By working with TÜV SÜD’s international network of technical experts and demonstrating your dedication to accurately assessing automotive software updating you can increase your customer trust.

Our software update assessment services

TÜV SÜD’s expert assessment of automotive software updates and software update management system (SUMS) identifies if your organisation’s processes provide a suitable and sustainable framework for your software update mechanism. Our assessment determines whether you fulfil the SUMS requirements of the UN Regulation 156.

Our assessment ensures that:

Manufacturers and suppliers implement appropriate organisational governance to produce components or vehicles capable of processing safe and secure software updates.
The specific requirements for updates and over-the-air updates are implemented correctly.
Software version identification is possible.
All required processes and documentation are produced in accordance with the UN regulation.

Our assessments are flexible and can be adapted to fit your organisation’s needs, by assessing the entire organisation or covering specific departments. This can also be applied in the early implementation stages and allows for efficient re-assessment, so that changes in your organisation or processes can be reflected quickly. Our detailed technical report includes a performance analysis and recommends how to close existing gaps.

We also offer individual workshops and training courses. These can help you better understand and implement the requirements for automotive software updates.