Software instead of hardware - Bosch becomes a programmer

A quick step on the brake pedal and the car is noticeably "on the ball". The throttle response is also very direct. The accelerator pedal only needs to be pressed gently and the car moves forward. Both pedals have virtually no free travel and only give way by a few millimeters. The accelerator and brake are only controlled with the force exerted by the foot. Never before have the accelerator and brake pedals reacted so sportily directly in a car as in this test vehicle from Bosch, which demonstrates the advantages of "brake-by-wire".

Not only the accelerator and brake, but also the steering wheel is about to be revolutionized: In addition to "brake-by-wire", Bosch has developed a "steer-by-wire". The steering wheel is only connected to the steering system by cable. A sensor transmits the rotation to an electric motor, that of the rack-and-pinion steering. This then ensures the selected steering angle.

Bosch is not the only company developing such steering and braking systems; the entire automotive industry is working on them. These systems show: Software will play a major role in the car of the future. How the brakes, steering, drive and damping respond will depend on computer programs that receive regular updates. This ensures that the cars are always up to date. "Bosch has also long been a software company," says Stefan Hartung, Chairman of the Bosch Board of Management. More than 48,000 associates work in software development at Bosch worldwide - 42,000 of whom are involved in mobility issues. "The age of the software-defined vehicle lies ahead of us," says Markus Heyn, who heads the Mobility business sector as a member of the board of management. In future, new functions will also be added to vehicles that have already been delivered.