Modern automotive electrical and electronic architecture is comprised of the battery and charging system, power distribution boxes, electronic control units, electrical devices, grounds, and the means of connecting all of these together - the wire harness or Electrical Distribution System (EDS).
As automotive electrical content and complexity increases, it becomes imperative to optimize the weight, size, cost, and manufacturability of a vehicle [1]. In terms of an EDS, the most potential gain can be realized if the EDS supplier and vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) work together during the advanced electrical & electronic architecture development and packaging design process. Traditionally, the electrical content, harness partitioning, and packaging locations are designed by the vehicle OEM with limited advanced input from the EDS supplier. We will demonstrate the benefits of the EDS supplier being involved earlier in the advanced electrical and electronic architecture and packaging design through the use of an EDS optimization software tool.
As new technologies are invented and introduced into electrical and electronic architecture, the existing studies can be revised and new studies can be developed.