Our CCU2 project is getting close to mass production now, and man, the business trips have been non-stop lately.

After working in the automotive industry for about 10 years, this is my second time going through MP (Mass Production), and when this phase approaches, everyone gets super tense.

It’s literally like a daily war - identifying and tackling issues that come up every single day. I decided to document this period because if I don’t write it down now, I’ll probably forget it all later.

I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to write, but I’m going to try to record as much as possible.

When I think about when this “period” actually starts, it’s quite a long stretch.

Usually, after completing the PoC (Proof of Concept) and finishing vendor selection through bidding, that’s when you can consider it the Mass Production phase. The PoC period alone can be 6 months on the short end - in CCU2’s case, it took over 2 years to complete feature development. After vendor selection was completed, we entered the Mass Production phase at the end of 2023, and the first vehicle model featuring the CCU2 project will come out at the end of 2024 ~ early 2025.

And based on this vehicle model, it’ll expand to dozens of other models rolling around roads worldwide, so from the OEM’s perspective, the first MP of the project’s first vehicle model is absolutely crucial.

The key events during this Mass Production period, in order, are: Wire car → Proto car → Master Car → Pilot 1 → Pilot 2 → M Stage → SoP.

Usually there’s about a 3-month gap between these phases, so you’re looking at 12-15 months of validation and refinement.

During PoC, we worked hard together with the OEM’s R&D organization. But during Mass Production, we team up with the OEM’s R&D organization to get past various verification processes from different perspectives within the OEM - Quality Assurance organization, Cyber security organization, etc.

During Wire Car, individual components (ECUs) that go into the vehicle are literally wired together for the first time.

The Reality of Automotive Software Development

What people don’t realize about automotive software is how different it is from typical software development. You can’t just push an update and fix bugs later - once these cars are on the road, any issue becomes a massive recall situation.

The Validation Hell

Every single feature goes through layers and layers of validation:

1. Unit Testing - Does the code work in isolation?
2. Integration Testing - Do all the components work together?
3. System Testing - Does it work in the actual vehicle environment?
4. Cybersecurity Validation - Can it be hacked?
5. Quality Assurance - Does it meet automotive standards?
6. Field Testing - Does it work in real-world conditions?

And this happens for EVERY. SINGLE. CHANGE.

The People Side

What’s fascinating is watching how different organizations within the OEM interact during this phase. During PoC, everyone was collaborative and focused on “can we make this work?” But during MP, it becomes “can we prove this won’t break?”

The R&D folks who were your buddies suddenly become your advocates, helping you navigate through various internal review boards. It’s like they’re saying, “Okay, we believe in this technology, now help us convince everyone else.”

The Stress Factor

The stress level is honestly insane. Every day brings new issues that could potentially delay the launch. And in automotive, launch delays are measured in millions of dollars per day.

I’ve seen grown engineers almost cry over bugs that would be considered minor in web development. But when you realize that bug could affect thousands of vehicles on the road, the weight of responsibility hits different.

What Makes It All Worth It

Despite the stress and crazy hours, there’s something magical about seeing your software actually controlling a real vehicle. When you see the first prototype car successfully start up with your code running the show… that’s a feeling you don’t get in most software jobs.

Plus, the automotive industry is going through this massive transformation right now. We’re literally building the future of transportation. Every line of code we write is contributing to making cars smarter, safer, and more connected.

Looking Ahead

We’re still in the thick of it with CCU2, but I can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. The first vehicles with our software will be rolling off production lines soon, and that’s both terrifying and exciting.

I’ll try to document more of this journey as we get closer to SoP (Start of Production). There are so many interesting technical challenges and human dynamics that I want to capture before they fade from memory.

Stay tuned for more war stories from the automotive software trenches! 🚗💻