SAE On-Board Diagnostics Symposium-Americas

1. As the automotive industry transitions toward electrified and software-defined vehicles, how do you see on-board diagnostics evolving from a compliance-focused function into a strategic enabler of vehicle intelligence and lifecycle management? 

The basics of on-board diagnostics still apply.  Sensors and actuators will fail.  These failures will need to be identified in near real time so that the control system can be reconfigured to ensure that the system remains safe and with as much limp home function as is feasible.

2. With Euro 7, CARB, EPA, and emerging global regulations reshaping emissions and diagnostics requirements, what are the most significant technical and operational challenges OEMs face in achieving harmonized global OBD compliance?  

Euro 7 is taking a new approach to on-board diagnostics by essentially deregulating on-board diagnostics and substituting a requirement to conduct on-board monitoring (OBM).  The remaining regulated markets (China, CARB, etc.) are remaining with the regulated OBD approach.  OEMs will have to decide if their Euro 7 on-board diagnostics will be designed and calibrated to remain compliant with CARB and China OBD regulations.  OEMs will also have to decide if they prefer a superset of OBD and OBM to be globally harmonized or have at least two systems, one based on traditional regulated OBD and another based on Euro 7 OBM.

3. EVs and hybrid platforms introduce entirely new diagnostic architectures compared to traditional ICE vehicles. Which areas of EV OBD development currently require the greatest industry collaboration and standardization? 

The areas of EV and PHEV OBD that are in critical need of industry collaboration and standardization is the vehicle to infrastructure charging interface.  The current non-coordinated interface results in customer confusion during the vehicle charging event.  In the case of a failure to charge, or customer perceived inadequate charge, the customer does not know if the problem, if there is one, is with the vehicle or with the charger (or something in the interface between the two).  The vehicle OBD system is good at alerting the customer that a vehicle fault is, or will, prevent, or limit charging.  However, the charging station infrastructure is inadequate in notifying the customer that there is an issue that results in a limited charge.  This issue could be a fault in the charging station or in the electrical supply to the charging station.  The lack of standardized charging station diagnostics, standardized diagnostic trouble codes, and standardized communication protocols results in customer frustration.  It is also a contributor to poor charging station repairability and therefore availability.

4. How is the industry addressing the growing complexity of monitoring battery health, thermal management systems, and high-voltage components while ensuring diagnostic reliability and cybersecurity? 

These systems contain sensor and actuator types that are already being diagnosed on hybrid and plug-in hybrid applications.  They do not expose the OBD system to additional risk.

5. SAE and ISO standards such as J1979-2 and J1979-3 are becoming increasingly critical in modern diagnostics ecosystems. How do these standards support interoperability and future-proofing across rapidly evolving propulsion technologies?

The data supported by both J1979-2 (vehicles with ICE) and J1979-3 (EV) is primarily used to support in-use compliance testing, inspection and maintenance (IM) programs, and future government regulatory development.

Learn More: For additional information about the event, including the agenda, speakers, and registration details, visit: SAE On-Board Diagnostics Symposium-Americas

6. As vehicles become more software-centric, what role will over-the-air updates and cloud-connected diagnostics play in redefining traditional OBD frameworks and service models? 

Cloud connected diagnostics will allow data from a fleet of units (vehicles, off-road applications, etc.) to be used to anticipate the occurrence of faults.  This will aid in turning corrective maintenance into preventative or scheduled maintenance.  This predictive failure system will work with the OBD system by analysing the results from selected diagnostics to anticipate pending failures.  The OBD system will still monitor for faults that occur so that the control system can be reconfigured to provide limp home capability and protect the system from further damage.

7. Heavy-duty, off-road, and non-road applications often operate under very different environmental and operational conditions. What unique diagnostic challenges do these sectors present compared to passenger vehicles? 

Due to the relatively remote location for many of these off-road applications, the OBD system is important to detecting faults so the control system can be reconfigured to provide some level of limp home capability to allow the machine to get to a location where it can be repaired.  It is also important that these diagnostic triggered limp home strategies prevent or lessen the likelihood of further damage to powertrain systems.]

8. With the increasing use of AI, predictive analytics, and advanced sensors in vehicle systems, do you foresee diagnostics shifting toward predictive fault prevention rather than reactive fault detection? 

Predictive analytics will increasingly be used to transform corrective maintenance (repair a fault) to preventive (or scheduled) maintenance.  Cloud based predictive system have an advantage over OBD for those failure modes that can be detected early by taking advantage of data on the performance of the fleet not just a single unit.   This will support less downtime and help manage repair parts ordering and stocking.  OBD will work with these predictive systems to cover failure modes that are relatively abrupt.  OBD will still be critical for triggering limp home modes.

9. Cybersecurity has become inseparable from connected vehicle diagnostics. How can the industry balance remote diagnostic accessibility with the need for secure and tamper-resistant systems?  

Most serious vehicle cyber security challenges involve malicious access to actuators, for example: throttle manipulation, brake apply, etc.  Since the monitoring of diagnostic related data cannot be used to modify actuator control, this is not a significant cyber security threat.

10. From your perspective, how prepared are suppliers and Tier 1 manufacturers for the next generation of OBD requirements, particularly in relation to electrification, software integration, and global compliance convergence?  

It is my observation that many suppliers are integrating some on-board diagnostics into their increasingly smart sensors and actuators.  The CARB OBD regulations contain specific requirements for these “smart device” diagnostics.  Few of these suppliers are aware of these specific requirements and are not taking them into account when they design their diagnostics.  This results in rework or extra effort on the part of OEMs.

11. Regulatory agencies are demanding more robust real-world emissions monitoring and transparency. How is this influencing OBD testing methodologies, validation strategies, and calibration processes? 

The Euro 7 OBM approach will force OEMs to understand what failure modes will impact real world emissions.  This could expand the OBD system for Euro 7.  For example, an air/fuel (A/F) imbalance diagnostic is not required for Euro 6 applications but may be included in Euro 7 applications when it has a significant emissions impact.

12. As autonomous and highly automated driving technologies advance, how might diagnostic systems need to evolve to support functional safety, redundancy validation, and system integrity monitoring? 

These systems expand the scope of sensors and actuators that interact with powertrain systems and therefore they introduce new failure modes that can impact emissions or the ability of other diagnostics to identify faults.  This will expand the number of sensors and actuators that require on-board diagnostics.

13. Over the past three decades, the symposium has become a major industry knowledge-sharing platform. What key shifts in diagnostics philosophy or innovation stand out most to you when comparing today’s landscape to the early years of OBD development? 

Today there is much more focus in use OBD functionality.  This trend was started with the introduction of in-use diagnostic tracking (in use performance ratios – IUMPR) in the 2005 MY for light and medium duty applications.  20 years later, it is still a major focus of OBD regulators in both CARB and China.  We will have to see if the Euro 7 OBD approach is successful.  In addition, integrating other vehicle systems with powertrain control will continue to expand the scope of regulated on-board diagnostics.

14. Looking ahead to the next 5–10 years, what emerging technologies, regulatory trends, or industry disruptions do you believe will most significantly redefine the future of on-board diagnostics globally? 

It will be interesting to see if the significant change in direction contained in the new Euro 7 OBM approach to deregulate OBD and rely on in use emissions monitoring will catch on globally.  Europe’s in use emissions data will be an indicator of the success of this approach in reducing in use exhaust emissions.  I also anticipate that software defined architectures will increase the scope of systems that will need emissions related OBD since it will allow a broader scope of sensor and actuators to support powertrain functions (both control and diagnostic).