Automotive Engineering Diagrams and Data

Reference 01

Automotive development process: concept to SOP

The map separates product design, manufacturing-process design, validation, PPAP, SOP and ramp-up. It also shows the point most summaries miss: APQP spans the evidence-building work, while PPAP is a customer approval process and SOP is a programme milestone. Exact gates, submission levels and timing vary by OEM and customer.

Use it with our full guides to the automotive product development process, APQP and PPAP and Start of Production.

Primary basis: AIAG's official APQP overview and Core Tools relationship. The map is an EV-Global synthesis, not an AIAG form or substitute for customer-specific requirements.

Reference 02

SAE autonomous driving levels L0-L5

The matrix answers three questions for every level: who controls the vehicle, who monitors the road, and who performs fallback. This makes the L2 to L3 boundary visible without treating the levels as a simple ladder of hardware capability.

Continue with the detailed SAE automation levels explainer, our precise Level 2 vs Level 3 comparison and the Waymo Level 4 case study.

Primary basis: SAE J3016 and the NHTSA automation-level explanation. Example categories illustrate the taxonomy and do not certify a particular product.

Reference 03

CAN vs LIN vs Automotive Ethernet

The architecture diagram shows why the network debate has no single winner. Automotive Ethernet connects central compute and zones. CAN and CAN FD remain efficient for robust local control. LIN keeps simple actuators cheap. The companion data adds rates, access models, use cases and limits for six network variants.

Read the technical detail in CAN vs LIN vs Automotive Ethernet, then connect it to domain and zonal E/E architecture and the software-defined vehicle stack.

Primary basis: the LIN 2.2A specification, Bosch's CAN and CAN FD data-rate overview, IEEE 802.3 single-pair Ethernet standards, OPEN Alliance and AUTOSAR architecture material.

Reference 04

EV motor types: permanent magnet, induction, externally excited

The cross-sections show the one decision that shapes an electric drive unit: how the rotor makes its magnetic field. Permanent magnets give the highest part-load efficiency at the price of rare earths and drag. A conductor cage costs least and freewheels. A powered coil keeps the field adjustable for motorway speeds without magnets. The companion data lists efficiency, drag, cost and example vehicles for all three.

Read the explanation in how an electric car motor works, then connect it to the 800-volt architecture that feeds the inverter and the combustion engine it replaces.

Primary basis: the US Department of Energy's all-electric vehicle explainer, BMW Group's sixth-generation eDrive briefing, Tesla's 2023 Investor Day drive-unit presentation and standard electrical-machine references.

Reference 05

Tesla Roadster 2026: engineering map and force budget

A six-panel summary of the second-generation Roadster as Tesla's engineers described it on 15 and 16 October 2026: the 800-volt 4680 pack, the two-motor rear drive unit, the cold-gas thrusters, the suction fans, the active aero and the weight target, each with its status, plus a force budget that puts tyre grip, fan suction and thruster push on one scale. The companion dataset lines the Roadster's stated figures up against the Model S Plaid, Model Y, Rimac Nevera R, Lucid Air Sapphire, Taycan Turbo GT, Xiaomi SU7 Ultra and Yangwang U9, with a status column that separates claims and targets from measured cars.

Read the full analysis in Tesla Roadster 2026: Specs, Thrusters and the Real Engineering, then the physics behind the drive unit in how an electric car motor works and why 800 volts matter.

Primary basis: Tesla's reveal livestream of 15 October 2026 and the engineer interviews with Hagerty and Top Gear on 16 October 2026, as reported by InsideEVs, Electrek, TechCrunch and EVXL; manufacturer specifications for the comparison cars. Figures labelled as claims or targets have not been independently measured.

Reference 06

Lidar, cameras and radar: the sensor matrix and the lidar price ladder

A seven-row matrix of the sensors a driver-assistance or robotaxi stack can carry, camera, conventional radar, 4D imaging radar, time-of-flight lidar, FMCW lidar, ultrasonic and thermal camera, with what each measures directly, its typical range and angular resolution, the conditions that defeat it and a 2026 unit-cost band, plus a price ladder for automotive lidar from the $75,000 roof unit of 2007 to the $200 Hesai ATX of 2025. The companion dataset holds the matrix values and the sensor suites of eleven vehicles and stacks, from Waymo's sixth-generation driver to Tesla's eight-camera Cybercab.

Read the full analysis in Lidar vs Cameras vs Radar: How Self-Driving Cars See (2026), then how those streams are fused in how the AI in a self-driving car works and what each step of automation demands in the SAE levels guide.

Primary basis: supplier datasheets and filings (Hesai, RoboSense, Arbe, Continental, Mobileye, Valeo, Teledyne FLIR), manufacturer technical pages (Waymo, Mercedes-Benz, Nvidia, BYD, Huawei, Lucid), the VTT fog-chamber study and the LidarNews price history, as of October 2026. Cost bands marked as estimates are not published by suppliers.

Reference 07

BEV, EREV and PHEV: where 100 units of energy go

Five energy-flow strips that follow 100 units of grid energy or fuel to the wheels: a battery EV and a plugged-in range-extender EV deliver about 75 to 80, an EREV running on its generator 32 to 36, a parallel plug-in hybrid on its engine 24 to 34 and a petrol car 18 to 28, with the stage efficiencies behind each number, plus generator-versus-motor power for the Li Auto L9, AITO M9, Ram 1500 REV and BMW i3 REx. The companion dataset compares ten range-extender vehicles on battery, electric and total range, generator, system power, price, market and status as of October 2026.

Read the full analysis in EREV Explained: How Range-Extender EVs Work, Who Builds Them, then the two machines in the chain: how an electric car motor works and how a car engine works.

Primary basis: manufacturer specifications (Li Auto, AITO, Xiaomi, Volkswagen, Leapmotor, Mazda, Stellantis, Scout Motors, Hyundai), generator efficiencies as published by Li Auto, Nissan and Horse Powertrain, the series-hybrid efficiency simulation in Engineering Transactions 73(3), 2025, and real-world consumption data from Transport & Environment and the ICCT. Stage efficiencies are indicative ranges, not test results.