PRODUCT LINE HALL OF FAME

General Motors Powertrain (GMPT)

General Motors Powertrain (GMPT) is a division of General Motors Corporation (GM), the world’s largest producer of passenger cars and trucks. GMPT provides powertrains to GM, its subsidiaries, and its partners. Today’s automotive powertrains consist of an engine, transmissions and the associated control system. In the control system, there are electrical components, an electronic control module, and the software that runs this system. The software that runs this system is called the General Motors Powertrain Software Product Line.

GMPT began its transition to a product line approach for its embedded powertrain control software in the late 1990’s. Since the inception of the product line, GMPT has taken four iterations of its software product line to production. During its short product line history, GMPT has used the software product line to support multiple electronic architectures – 5 engine control modules, 4 transmission control modules and 3 powertrain control module supporting both an engine and transmission controls. The software product line is also capable of supporting multiple powertrain physical architectures (diesel engines vs. gas engines, clutch-to-clutch transmissions vs. freewheel transmissions). Finally, controller products built using the GMPT software product line cleanly interface with over 100 vehicle platforms.

The GMPT software product line is now the basis for nearly all new control modules being developed within GMPT. In the next three years, GMPT expects to take the number of software sets supporting gasoline engine programs from 17 down to 3. In this manner, the use of the GMPT software product line has enabled GMPT to support the demand for new control modules and new powertrain features with minimal additional resources.

More information about the GMPT software product line is available at www.eecs.umich.edu/courses/eecs486/win03/notes/GMVisit.pdf