Lars Wunderlich, Principal Application
Engineer at Vector North America, has extensive experience in model-based E/E
development and wiring harness design. At Vector, he supports OEMs and
suppliers in mastering the increasing complexity of modern vehicle
architectures with PREEvision, a holistic development platform. In this
interview, conducted ahead of his talk at the Automotive
Wire Harness & EDS Conference 2025 in Detroit, he explains the four
biggest challenges facing the industry – from zonal architectures and digital
descriptions to automation and e-Fuses – and why efficiency and scalability
depend on seamless collaboration, robust processes, and smart digital tools.
ADT: We
are in the midst of a dynamic and disruptive decade for the automotive
industry. From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges the wire
harness sector will face over the next five years?
Wunderlich: I
see four main challenges ahead. The automotive industry is undergoing a
significant transformation with the adoption of zonal architecture in vehicle
electrical and electronic systems. This architectural shift, which replaces
traditional distributed or domain-based designs with zone-oriented structures,
enables modular wiring harness designs that can be produced with higher
automation and has profound implications for the wiring harness design of
modern vehicles. Introducing a zonal architecture fundamentally alters how
components are interconnected within the vehicle. Instead of routing signals
and power through centralized ECUs, zonal controllers are distributed across
the vehicle, each managing a specific physical area. This reduces overall cable
length and weight, redistributes wiring paths and requires a complete redesign
of harness layouts. It also shifts the topology from centralized to
decentralized, affecting how data and power are transmitted. The complexity of
the harness is reduced, which leads to better manufacturability and more
opportunities for automation. These changes are not incremental; they represent
a paradigm shift that impacts every aspect of the harness design process. The
transition to zonal architecture also necessitates the establishment of new
connections and the removal or replacement of existing ones. Software-defined
vehicles together with high-performance computers force IP-based communication
that connects business and embedded IT. Legacy communication protocols are
being replaced with high-speed alternatives such as Automotive Ethernet, and
new connector types and modular interfaces tailored to zonal controllers are
being introduced. Power distribution is being reconfigured, often integrating Power
over Data Line (PoDL) solutions to streamline cabling.
These technological
shifts require close coordination between electrical, mechanical, and software
engineering teams to ensure compatibility and performance. Managing this vast
number of changes demands a well-defined change management process. With the
new SDV paradigm, there is a need for holistic change management that covers
all involved disciplines, from software development to physical components such
as the wiring harness. Without it, the risk of design inconsistencies, integration
issues, and delays increases significantly. Effective change management must be
requirements-driven, ensuring all changes are traceable to specific functional,
safety, security, or performance needs. It should also be systematic and
transparent, with changes documented, version-controlled, and communicated
across stakeholders. Finally, digital tools such as model-based design,
simulation, and automated validation are essential to assess the impact of
changes early in the development cycle. A robust change management framework
ensures that the transition to zonal architecture is controlled, efficient, and
aligned with overall vehicle development goals. The adoption of zonal
architecture is a strategic move toward more scalable, modular, and software-defined
vehicles. However, it introduces complex and wide-ranging changes to wiring
harness design that must be carefully managed. By embracing new connection
technologies and implementing structured change management processes, OEMs and
suppliers can unlock the full potential of zonal architectures while
maintaining design integrity and development efficiency.
What is the second challenge?
The development of vehicle wiring harnesses
has traditionally relied on the exchange of multiple drawings, spreadsheets,
and documentation between OEMs, suppliers, and service teams. This fragmented
approach is increasingly being replaced by a reusable digital description,
enabling greater efficiency, consistency, and automation throughout the
lifecycle. Historically, wiring harness development involved multiple drawings
for different design stages, tables and spreadsheets for component and wire
lists, and manual updates and conversions between formats. This process was not
only time-consuming but also prone to errors and miscommunication. The shift
toward a single digital source of truth allows all stakeholders to work based
on the same digital model (digital twin), reducing redundancy and improving
traceability. A reusable digital description allows for design reuse across
platforms and variants, automated generation of drawings and documentation, and
seamless integration with simulation, validation, and manufacturing systems.
Instead of manually creating and exchanging static files, teams can generate
outputs directly from the digital model, ensuring consistency and reducing
turnaround time.
One of the key goals of this transformation is the ability to
generate drawings and documentation on demand. The model becomes the single
point of truth not only during design but also throughout production and
service. Model-based design tools can interpret digital descriptions, while
rule-based rendering engines produce harness layouts, connector views, and
pinout tables. Version-controlled data ensures that the latest approved design
is always reflected. To enable interoperability and data exchange across tools
and organizations, the industry is adopting standardized formats such as KBL
(Kabelbaumliste), a widely used XML-based format for describing wiring
harnesses, and VEC (Vehicle Electric Container), a more advanced and extensible
format that supports richer data models and lifecycle integration. These
standards ensure that digital descriptions can be shared reliably between OEMs,
suppliers, and service platforms, regardless of the tools used. The transition
to a reusable, standardized digital description for wiring harness development
marks a significant step toward model-based engineering in the automotive
industry. By replacing static documents with dynamic, interoperable models,
teams can improve collaboration, reduce errors, and accelerate development.
What would you describe as the third
major challenge?
The shift toward zonal architectures in
vehicle electrical systems is not only transforming design principles but also
opening new opportunities for automation in wiring harness production. By
modularizing the harness into smaller, zone-specific sub-harnesses,
manufacturers can streamline production, reduce costs, and improve scalability.
Zonal architecture divides the vehicle into physical zones, each managed by a
local controller. This naturally leads to the development of smaller, partial
sub-harnesses that serve only the components within a specific zone. These
modular harnesses are simpler in structure, easier to assemble, and more
standardized across platforms, which increases reuse and enables parallel
production. This modular approach is a key enabler for automated assembly
lines, where robotic systems can handle repetitive tasks with high precision.
Automating the production of zonal sub-harnesses offers cost reduction through
minimized manual labor and fewer errors, improved quality via consistent assembly
and testing procedures, faster turnaround for prototyping and variant
production, and scalability for high-volume manufacturing without proportional
increases in workforce. Additionally, automation supports just-in-time
production, aligning with lean manufacturing principles and reducing inventory
overhead. To fully leverage automation, harness designs must be optimized for
machine-based assembly. This requires simplified connector interfaces,
standardized pinouts, predefined routing paths, and bend radii suitable for
robotic handling. Integration with digital twins allows automated systems to
interpret and execute designs directly from models.
Finally, what about the fourth
challenge?
As vehicles become increasingly electrified
and software-defined, traditional power distribution systems are reaching their
limits. One of the most promising innovations in this space is the use of
electronic fuses (e-Fuses), which enable intelligent, flexible, and fail-safe
power management – especially in the context of zonal architectures. Reducing
the power consumption of the E/E subsystem has become a significant
optimization in the process of total energy consumption of the vehicle. E-Fuses
can therefore play a crucial part in intelligent solutions for power saving of
components that are not needed or needed only on demand. Conventional blade
fuses are static, provide fixed protection thresholds and cannot adapt to
changing conditions. They require manual replacement with physical access and
lack integration with vehicle diagnostics or control systems. These limitations
hinder the ability to manage power dynamically, especially in modern vehicles
with complex electrical loads and distributed architectures. E-Fuses are
solid-state devices that replace traditional mechanical fuses. They offer
programmable current thresholds, real-time monitoring and diagnostics, remote
reset and control capabilities, and integration with vehicle ECUs and zonal
controllers. This makes them ideal for use in zonal architectures, where
localized control and intelligent decision-making are essential.
By integrating
e-Fuses into zonal power distribution systems, OEMs can achieve smarter load
management by dynamically adjusting power delivery based on operating
conditions. They can improve safety by detecting and isolating faults faster,
reducing fire and damage risks. Maintenance can be reduced by enabling remote
diagnostics and reset without physical access. Finally, flexibility is enhanced
through software-defined power profiles for different vehicle modes or
configurations. E-Fuses can also be controlled via software to prioritize
critical systems during power-limited scenarios, disable non-essential loads in
fault conditions, and enable power management across zones based on real-time
demand. This leads to optimized energy usage, especially in electric vehicles
where power efficiency directly impacts range and performance. The introduction
of e-Fuses marks a significant advancement in automotive power management. By
replacing traditional fixed fuses with intelligent, programmable alternatives,
manufacturers can build more flexible, safer, and efficient electrical systems.
In the context of zonal architectures, e-Fuses are not just a component
upgrade, they are a strategic enabler of next-generation vehicle design.
Vector offers a wide range of tools and
solutions for model-based E/E development. Where do you currently see the
greatest demand from your customers – and how is Vector North America
addressing those needs, specifically in the context of wiring harness development?
In modern automotive development, the
complexity of electrical/electronic (E/E) systems demands integrated,
model-based approaches that span the entire lifecycle – from early architecture
evaluation to production and service. PREEvision, a product by Vector, supports
this transformation by offering a unified platform for E/E architecture design,
requirements engineering, systems engineering, software, communication,
diagnostics, and wiring harness development all in one tool. PREEvision enables
a single source of truth through a predefined data model that supports relevant
industry standards such as AUTOSAR, ReqIF, and KBL. This model-based approach
allows consistent data reuse across domains, reduces tool fragmentation and
manual handovers, improves workflow support with customizable processes, and
enables collaborative engineering with controlled access for different teams
and roles. By integrating all disciplines into one tool, PREEvision enhances
efficiency, traceability, and data quality throughout the development process.
How does this approach play out in
practice?
The platform supports automation of
repetitive tasks and encourages the reuse of existing data, reducing manual
effort and minimizing errors. Key capabilities include defining reusable parts
or units for sharing the same data, customized workflow support tailored to
customer-specific processes, project-specific requirement coverage, and
flexible process adaptation to meet evolving development needs. This results in
faster development cycles and better alignment with quality goals such as
“Zero-Defect Production.” PREEvision also enables early validation of designs
through consistency checks to detect modeling errors, design rule definition
for automated validation, and pre-production evaluation to ensure correctness
before testing. This proactive approach helps identify issues early, reducing
costly late-stage fixes and improving overall system reliability. Traceability
is a cornerstone of quality-driven development. PREEvision supports
requirement-to-solution traceability, defect tracking from source to affected
artifacts, and ASPICE-compliant traceability concepts. Change management is
facilitated through artifact lifecycles to manage maturity, version control at
the artifact level, and an integrated ticket system for tracking changes and
defects. These features ensure transparency and control throughout the
development lifecycle. The platform includes robust capabilities for library
and type management, variant and version management, and is highly customizable.
This supports scalable development across multiple vehicle platforms and
configurations.
How does it specifically support wiring
harness design in this context?
Beyond architecture and systems
engineering, PREEvision supports automated wiring harness design with advanced
routing capabilities, topology-based wire path optimization, routing
constraints and wire length calculation, bundle size estimation, splice positioning,
and inline connector placement on demand. These features help determine the
best matching paths for wires and cables, improving manufacturability and
reducing cost. PREEvision also offers interfacing capabilities for digital data
exchange. This includes support for industry-standard formats like AUTOSAR,
ReqIF, and KBL, import/export functionalities for integration with external
systems, collaboration platforms with Server API for customer-specific data
exchange, and digital descriptions that enable automated downstream processing.
This ensures smooth collaboration between OEMs, suppliers, and service teams.
PREEvision empowers automotive E/E development with a holistic, model-based
platform that integrates architecture evaluation, system design, software,
communication, diagnostics, and wiring harness development.
Your talk at the Automotive Wire Harness
& EDS Conference 2025 introduces a model-based development process
supported by PREEvision. Can you give us a concrete example of how this
approach helps OEMs or suppliers solve recurring pain points in harness
development workflows?
In nearly all organizations the
implementation of the development process involves several organizational
units. Therefore, a development pipeline must be set up to hand over the work
results in a controlled manner downstream. Different roles are involved in such
a distributed or staged wiring harness development process. The most relevant
roles are System Responsible, Component Responsible, Wiring Harness Architects
and Wiring Harness Designers. All these roles can collaborate in PREEvision and
make their contributions in the design process in a well-coordinated way.
System Responsible are experts for physical functions implemented by a network
of sensors, actuators and ECUs. Examples of systems are air conditioning, seat
control, window lifter and others. These systems often share ECUs and use
signals provided by the same sensors. A system is therefore also an area of
responsibility with interfaces to other systems. In this context, the System
Responsible works on the schematics layer.
What does this look like in concrete
terms?
They define the schematics design for their
system and also provide design constraints such as color combinations or cable
constraints for dedicated schematic connections for the later wiring harness
design. The System Responsible also considers all system variants and provides
an abstract design supporting all later geometry variants such as sedan,
convertible, coupe and others. The Component Responsible defines the
components, their pins and connectors for all suppliers and all variants.
Additionally, the Component Responsible are experts on power consumption
constraints. The Wiring Harness Architect defines routing strategies, fusing
and relay concepts as well as grounding concepts. All Wiring Harness Designers
must follow these constraints. The Wiring Harness Designer defines the single
wires and cables fulfilling the constraints defined by the System Responsible,
Component Responsible and Wiring Harness Architect. They typically have a
predefined geometry as design space (e.g. sedan or convertible). All these
roles work together in a structured workflow and need tool concepts for
baselining and handover of their designs to the next role. This is not a
single-step approach but requires iterations, feature branches and update and
merge capabilities of changed designs – similar to modern software versioning
concepts such as Git. In complex environments such as wiring harness
development, scalability, modularity, and maintainability are key.
Could you elaborate on the principles
that guide such a complex development process?
The following core principles form the backbone
of a robust system engineering strategy across product lines. Abstraction helps
bridge the gap between high-level specifications and detailed implementations.
Using a defined layer model, engineers can move from architecture to systems,
defining the structural blueprint. To manage complexity, systems are decomposed
into smaller, manageable units. Systems and subsystems may overlap, and these
are aggregated into larger systems with defined interfaces and dependencies,
promoting modularity and integration. Version control ensures traceability and
flexibility in development. Branches and revisions allow parallel development
and experimentation, and teams can update to newer or older versions,
supporting both innovation and legacy maintenance. A continuous workflow
streamlines collaboration and delivery.
Workspaces are tailored to different
roles, enabling focused development. Work products are offered and consumed
through a structured delivery process. The extended asset concept introduces
automation – such as automatic completion, integration, and rollback –
enhancing efficiency and reducing errors. Product Line Engineering (PLE)
enables the efficient development of multiple product variants from a shared
set of assets. It supports a continuous development stream by leveraging libraries
and templates that standardize reusable components, as well as variant
management to handle differences across products or configurations, ensuring
consistency while allowing customization. We call this the “One Model”
approach. It’s a streamlined development process based on Product Line
Engineering with several predefined stages and dedicated responsibilities
collaborating seamlessly together within a common workflow.
