Zonal Control Architecture Application
Background
As the automotive industry increasingly moves toward Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) across passenger vehicles, commercial trucks, and industrial equipment, manufacturers are shifting from traditional distributed ECUs to centralized and zonal electrical/electronic (E/E) architectures. This transition enables reduced wiring complexity, lower costs, scalable software-driven features, and platforms ready to support future vehicle innovations.
To capitalize on these opportunities, our team designed and deployed Zonal Control Units (ZCUs) that consolidate body and chassis functions into structured zonal domains, creating a scalable, production-ready E/E architecture.
Our partners included major heavy-duty truck OEMs and internationally recognized industrial equipment manufacturers focused on next-generation vehicle platforms and high-volume production.
Project Scope
Zonal Architecture Development
For next-generation truck platforms, we developed a ZCU architecture that:
- Consolidated legacy ECUs into zonal controllers
- Integrated CAN, LIN, and Ethernet communication across nodes
- Reduced cross-vehicle wiring harness complexity
- Implemented functional safety and redundancy for mission-critical systems
Chassis Domain Integration
Across multiple OEM platforms, the solution integrated braking, steering, suspension, and related subsystems under a centralized control framework.
The architecture introduced:
- Centralized diagnostics with enhanced system visibility
- A scalable software framework adaptable across vehicle lines
- Standardized hardware and firmware platforms to support production scaling
Explore our ZCU product page to learn more about the capabilities and deployment options for your platforms.
Business Impact
Architectural Simplification
Zonal consolidation significantly simplified vehicle wiring and lowered overall system weight and costs.
Lower Manufacturing Complexity and Costs
Standardized platforms and reduced component count supported improved production efficiency and lowered BOM.
Enhanced Diagnostics and Serviceability
Centralized control improved fault detection and maintenance procedures.
Future-Ready SDV Foundation
The ZCU architecture provides a scalable framework for software-defined functionality and long-term platform evolution.
Conclusion
This ZCU program demonstrates a practical pathway toward centralized, software-ready E/E architectures in heavy-duty commercial vehicles.
By consolidating body and chassis systems into scalable zonal domains, the platform reduces complexity while enabling the transition to next-generation software-defined vehicle architectures.