The Roewe 750 hybrid sedan from SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd. (SAIC Motor) improves fuel economy and emissions by about 20% over the non-hybrid Roewe 750. The complex control logic in the vehicle’s hybrid control unit (HCU), which coordinates the electric motor and engine, is vital to achieving the fuel efficiency and drivability goals SAIC Motor had set for the vehicle.
Recognizing that the design of this embedded system represented core intellectual property, the company decided to develop the production version in-house using Simulink®and Model-Based Design after a concept design was produced by an outside consulting firm. “Three years ago, SAIC Motor did not have rich experience developing embedded control software. With some team members new to embedded development, we needed an industry-proven approach,” says Jun Zhu, general manager of Shanghai E-propulsion Auto Technology Co., the SAIC Motor subsidiary that develops electric and hybrid propulsion technologies. “Our Simulink model served as an executable specification, enabling better communication of the requirements and design both with consulting partners and among our team. Model-Based Design also enabled us to generate efficient, reliable code from our verified model.”