German legacy automaker Volkswagen has just recruited Tesla’s former Engineering Director and Rivian’s Software Platforms VP, Sanjay Lal, to aid its electric vehicle software development efforts.
Lal to supervise CARIAD’s EV software push
According to Bloomberg, Lal will oversee the newly launched Software Defined Vehicle Hub of VW Group’s unit CARIAD.
The hub is basically a team consisting of Volkswagen and Audi employees, with the potential to expand to other brands under the VW Group umbrella. It will focus on accelerating software development with hardware built around it.
“Speed is the new imperative to stay competitive.”
VW Group CEO Oliver Blume
In addition, the hub will also apparently “form the basis for scaling the E³ 2.0 architecture throughout the Volkswagen Group. With the next-generation architecture, E³ 2.0, the Volkswagen Group plans to be the decisive step ahead of the competition,” CARIAD officials reportedly disclosed.
About Lal
Sanjay Lal has over 25 years of working experience in the automotive software industry. As mentioned, he worked at Rivian as Software Platforms Vice President and at Tesla as Engineering Director.
Apart from these two American electric automakers, he also gained career experiences from established tech companies like Google and Cisco.
“Sanjay is someone we can all look forward to. He is a true expert in the Software Defined Vehicle – together with him we will develop a competitive advantage for the brands and the Volkswagen Group.”
CARIAD CEO Peter Bosch (via InsideEVs)
Challenges
VW only founded CARIAD in 2020 to consolidate the Group’s independent software platforms with parts, usually from various vendors.
In contrast, industry leader Tesla develops its own software platform in-house. It enables the American company to ramp up development and cut costs.
Apart from that, CARIAD is also having a hard time advancing VW’s software development to hit its 2035 electrification target.
Notably, VW’s EV models have suffered from problematic software feature launches and multiple glitches and bugs.
As InsideEVs reported, these software issues significantly contributed to the delay of the company’s planned Level 5 autonomous driving technology.
All that said, the presence of a software expert and veteran like Lal will certainly contribute to addressing the company’s current software-related challenges.
See Also:
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Sanjay Lal will officially join the Volkswagen Group next month to supervise the development of its next-gen software platform for electric vehicles. His remarkable expertise and knowledge in vehicle software and engineering will greatly aid the German automaker in advancing in the rapidly evolving EV industry.
