Driving an electric car is becoming more common every day, but making charging seamless relies on sophisticated technology working perfectly behind the scenes. A crucial part of this puzzle is ensuring the car and the charger can instantly and securely talk to each other. This communication depends heavily on embedded systems – the small, specialized computers running inside these devices.
Recently, a major global car brand and its EV charger partner faced a critical hurdle. They needed flawless communication between their new charger and vehicles, using Near-Field Communication (NFC) – similar to the tech used for tap-to-pay. The key was a highly complex piece of software, known as a device driver, designed specifically to control the NFC hardware within the charger.
The challenge? Time. Developing this kind of specialized driver typically takes two to three months, but the product launch was fast approaching, and they simply didn’t have that long. Needing expert help to deliver quality under intense pressure, they turned to us at Onplick.
Our team jumped right in, taking on the task of creating the custom Linux-based device driver. The goal was to get the NFC controller (an STMicroelectronics ST25R3912 chip) communicating reliably with the charger’s main processor (a Texas Instruments AM335x) via the SPI connection. Drawing on our deep experience with embedded systems and kernel-level Linux development, we focused on writing efficient, robust code tailored precisely to their needs.
The result? We successfully delivered the fully functional, custom NFC driver in just one month – cutting the typical development schedule by more than half.
This rapid turnaround was a game-changer for our clients:
- Development Time Slashed: We reduced the standard 2-3 month driver development timeline significantly.
- Seamless Connection Achieved: The new driver ensured the EV charger and vehicle could communicate without a hitch.
- Launch Deadlines Met: Crucially, this speed allowed the automaker and their partner to stay on track and meet their critical product launch schedule.
By overcoming complex technical hurdles and delivering a high-performance solution under tight constraints, Onplick reaffirmed its position as a trusted partner for cutting-edge embedded technology development in the EV industry.
