Software-defined vehicles are becoming increasingly common, and Hyundai and Kia are expanding their focus on the technology with a dedicated testing facility called the NOVA Lab. The facility can identify approximately 150 to 200 issues before a physical prototype is assembled, helping the automakers save development time while reducing potential problems for customers.
How NOVA Lab Tests Software-Defined Vehicles
Software-defined vehicles can deliver features such as over-the-air updates and more advanced driver-assistance systems. But their growing reliance on software and interconnected electronic systems can also create new types of quality problems that largely analog cars from decades ago did not have to address.
The NOVA Lab is located at the Namyang Research and Development Center in South Korea. At its center is a wire-car test bench that has no vehicle body, doors or interior.
Instead, hundreds of controllers, wiring harnesses and electronic components are physically connected exactly as they would be inside a production vehicle. Engineers can connect 300 to 500 controllers through approximately 500 wiring connectors to evaluate the vehicle’s complete electronic architecture and identify potential issues.
Testing a Car’s Electronic Architecture
The goal is to make sure every electrical component functions properly as part of the larger system. A single communication or signaling error can create problems across multiple functions.
That risk is particularly important for software-defined vehicles because systems responsible for propulsion, infotainment, connectivity, safety and advanced driver-assistance systems are increasingly interconnected.
NOVA Lab also supports real-world driving simulations using a proprietary Torque Wheel Dynamometer, along with a virtual environment for testing ADAS features. Its capabilities have expanded to include high-speed Ethernet-based communication, 48-volt power systems and over-the-air software updates.
Hyundai and Kia Expand Their Software Focus
NOVA Lab will support development of future software-defined vehicles from Hyundai and Kia, including planned robotaxi platforms designed to operate without a human driver.
Those platforms would compete against vehicles such as Tesla’s two-door Cybercab, which was unveiled without a steering wheel or pedals.
Hyundai and Kia’s increasing reliance on software is already visible in their newer vehicles, particularly their electric models. In the U.S., Hyundai offers the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 9.
Hyundai discontinued the standard Ioniq 6 for 2026, likely because of a combination of weak sales and tariffs. Kia offers the Niro EV, EV6 and EV9, while the smaller EV3 is scheduled to arrive in late 2026.
With NOVA Lab, Hyundai and Kia are expanding their testing of the electronic systems and software that underpin their future vehicles, including planned software-defined vehicles and robotaxi platforms.
