The hardware and software integration of intelligent vehicles is a complex system engineering with full-stack and full-domain integration, which exerts a significant impact on the cost of intelligentization of complete vehicles. This study firstly constructs a vehicle intelligence grading system covering four major functional domains, namely, intelligent driving, intelligent cockpit, intelligent vehicle control, and intelligent connectivity. It sorts out more than 120 functional subsystems and realizes the accurate mapping of hardware and software technical elements. Secondly, a full-time-scale-based hierarchical functional deployment framework is established, along with a system integration optimization model oriented to the computing–communication integrated network. Finally, a total cost of ownership evaluation model for the intelligentization of complete vehicles is constructed, and a systematic comparison is conducted on the integration schemes and cost differences between the distributed architecture and the “central computing + zonal control” architecture. The research framework established in this study is highly compatible with the vehicle-forward development process and can provide a solid theoretical basis and quantitative decision support for automotive manufacturers in terms of architecture selection, function planning, integrated design, and cost control.
Zhang et al. (2026) studied this question.