Case Study: General Motors achieves rapid, reusable Two‑Mode Hybrid powertrain development with MathWorks Model‑Based Design

GM Standardizes on Model-Based Design for Hybrid Powertrain Development

General Motors faced the challenge of developing a new Two-Mode Hybrid powertrain from scratch and delivering production vehicles on an aggressive four-year schedule, creating well over a million lines of control code while optimizing fuel economy, responsiveness, and driver comfort and verifying designs before hardware was available. To meet these demands, GM standardized on MathWorks and its Model-Based Design toolchain—MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, Embedded Coder and Simulink Coder—for control systems design and production code generation.

Using MathWorks tools, GM built detailed plant and control models, ran closed-loop simulations, auto-generated production code, and performed HIL testing to iterate rapidly and verify designs early. The MathWorks-based approach delivered a running prototype in nine months, enabled worldwide collaboration and a single source of truth for teams, and produced reusable controller architecture now in production across multiple GM vehicles (GMC Sierra/Yukon, Chevy Tahoe/Silverado, Cadillac Escalade) and being adapted for the Chevy Volt.

General Motors

Kent Helfrich

Director of Powertrain Software Engineering