Elektrobit
Major automotive embedded software vendor owned by Continental
Founded 1988 | Erlangen, Germany | 1,000–5,000 employees
firmware-developmentrtos-developmentembedded-linuxcybersecurityembedded-consulting
What is Elektrobit?
Elektrobit, established in 1988 in Erlangen, Germany, has built embedded and connected software running in more than 600 million vehicles worldwide — a production scale that's a genuine differentiator for OEM procurement teams evaluating vendor track records. Continental acquired Elektrobit as a wholly-owned, independently-operated subsidiary in 2015, and the roughly 1,000-5,000 person team's core work spans ECU software, AUTOSAR platforms, automated driving software, and connected-vehicle/UX software. For a technical buyer, the trade-off is clear: Elektrobit brings Continental's Tier 1 manufacturing scale and automotive-only depth, but the automotive-exclusive focus means there's no transferable track record for medical, industrial, or consumer embedded programs, and the Continental relationship shapes which programs get priority attention.
Elektrobit works primarily with clients in Automotive sectors. Its primary differentiator is: Software running in 600M+ vehicles at production scale, backed by Continental's Tier 1 manufacturing relationships and standards expertise.
Elektrobit tech stack and services
AUTOSARC/C++Embedded LinuxISO 26262-aware developmentECU software platforms
| Service area |
|---|
| Firmware Development |
| RTOS Development |
| Embedded Linux |
| Cybersecurity |
| Embedded Consulting |
Elektrobit pricing
Short answer: Elektrobit uses a fixed project, licensing, dedicated team pricing approach. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed; a discovery call is required.
| Engagement model | Typical range | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed project | From not disclosed | Well-defined scope |
| Licensing | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
| Dedicated team | Variable; depends on team size | Large programmes or team augmentation |
Elektrobit does not publish a public rate card. Contact them directly via their website to get project-specific pricing.
Elektrobit pros and cons
| Advantages | Things to consider |
|---|---|
| +Software deployed in over 600 million vehicles — a production track record most automotive embedded vendors can't match | -Wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental since 2015 — engagement priorities may be shaped by Continental's broader Tier 1 supplier relationships |
| +Continental's Tier 1 manufacturing and supply-chain scale directly backs Elektrobit's engineering capacity | -Automotive-exclusive focus means zero relevant experience for non-automotive embedded programs |
| +Deep AUTOSAR and ISO 26262-aligned platform expertise built specifically for automotive functional-safety requirements | -No public pricing or minimum engagement figures published |
Elektrobit vs alternatives
How Elektrobit compares to the other top Embedded Software Development companies.
| Company | Best for | Key difference | Rating | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemberg Solutions | CTOs needing one team across hardware, firmware, and... | Owns electrical, firmware, Linux, FPGA, and cloud/edge AI in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships | 4.8 | Full comparison |
| SYSGO | Aerospace, rail, and automotive teams needing SIL 4-certified... | Vendor of PikeOS, the first RTOS/hypervisor to achieve SIL 4 safety certification, now backed by Thales Group ownership | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| Pengutronix | Teams needing verifiable, upstream-contributing Linux kernel expertise. | Directly verifiable upstream Linux kernel contributions (2,500+ changes across 4,000+ files in 2023 alone) — a depth signal that's independently checkable, not marketing copy | 4.6 | Full comparison |
| DornerWorks | Aerospace and defense programs needing FPGA and hypervisor... | Narrow, verifiable specialty in FPGA co-design and Xen hypervisor work for aerospace, defense, and medical reliability requirements | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| Vector Informatik | Automotive teams standardizing ECU development on AUTOSAR tooling. | One of the primary commercial contributors to the AUTOSAR standard, pairing automotive embedded tooling with engineering services at 35+ years of history | 4.5 | Full comparison |
| emlix | Industrial and safety-critical clients needing Linux depth with... | Combines 20+ years of embedded Linux specialization with a 60+ engineer team large enough to run concurrent industrial programs | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Bosch Engineering | OEMs wanting Bosch-grade process discipline for automotive and... | Wholly-owned Bosch Group engineering-services subsidiary bringing Bosch's manufacturing-grade process discipline to third-party embedded programs | 4.4 | Full comparison |
| Enea | Buyers wanting a publicly-audited RTOS vendor with real-time... | Nasdaq Stockholm-listed RTOS vendor (Enea OSE) with public governance and audited financials, a trust signal private consultancies can't match | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Witekio | Device makers wanting chip-to-cloud coverage from one European... | Covers the full chip-to-cloud stack — BSP, Android/Linux/RTOS firmware, OTA/security, and Qt/Flutter app layers — under one French team | 4.3 | Full comparison |
| Promwad | European buyers wanting hardware and firmware under one... | End-to-end European design house covering PCB, FPGA, embedded Linux, and manufacturing coordination under a single engagement | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Sirin Software | Semiconductor teams needing multi-protocol wireless firmware depth. | Named depth across six wireless protocols (Wi-Fi, BLE, Matter, UWB, NFC, LoRaWAN) spanning Linux, Zephyr, FreeRTOS, and ThreadX | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| MicroSys Electronics | Teams needing NXP-based SoM hardware paired with Linux... | NXP Gold Partner status with a near-50-year focus specifically on Arm Cortex System-on-Modules and their Linux BSPs | 4.2 | Full comparison |
| Timesys | Programs needing long-term embedded Linux security patching and... | Nearly three-decade specialization in embedded Linux security patching and multi-year maintenance tooling, now under Lynx Software Technologies | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| ByteSnap Design | UK/EU programs needing custom board design plus a... | ISO 9001-certified UK boutique with named multi-vendor semiconductor partnerships (STMicroelectronics, NXP, Microchip, Digi, Analog Devices) and dedicated design-rescue capability | 4.1 | Full comparison |
| Klika Tech | AWS-committed architectures needing edge firmware and cloud integration... | AWS Premier Partner status specifically for edge-to-cloud IoT integration, reducing firmware/cloud interface risk on AWS-native architectures | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Integra Sources | Early-stage teams without in-house hardware engineering to manage... | Turnkey hardware-plus-firmware delivery from a single small team, removing the need for an in-house hardware/firmware vendor coordinator | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Softeq Development | Connected-product programs wanting hardware, firmware, and app layers... | Full-stack US firm covering PCB-to-device hardware, low-level firmware, and consumer application software under one roof | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| KPIT Technologies | Global OEM programs needing large-scale software-defined-vehicle engineering. | Publicly-listed, automotive-only embedded engineering at 12,000+ engineer scale, with a named Renault Group strategic partnership | 4.0 | Full comparison |
| Tata Elxsi | Enterprises needing automotive embedded engineering alongside media/healthcare R&D. | Broad ER&D scale (13,000+ engineers, 16 countries) spanning automotive, media/telecom, and healthcare over 35+ years | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Data Respons | Nordic and multi-sector programs needing embedded engineering across... | Nearly 40-year Nordic embedded specialist spanning eight distinct sectors, now backed by Akkodis scale after two ownership transitions | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Wind River | Certifiable aerospace and industrial programs standardizing on VxWorks. | Maker of VxWorks, a certified RTOS deployed in commercial and military aircraft, now majority-owned by automotive Tier 1 supplier Aptiv | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Cyient | Aerospace and defense programs needing embedded avionics engineering... | Aerospace-focused embedded avionics practice (fly-by-wire, autopilot, collision avoidance) strengthened by the CERTON Software acquisition | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| Intellias | Automotive programs wanting proven multi-brand navigation deployment experience. | Named production deployment: navigation technology used across 10+ global car brands and 10M+ vehicles, inside a broader IT outsourcing portfolio | 3.9 | Full comparison |
| N-iX | Enterprises wanting embedded/IoT work bundled with broader cloud... | 15+ years of dedicated IoT and embedded solutions experience inside a broader custom software engineering portfolio | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| GlobalLogic | Enterprises wanting embedded work inside a Hitachi-backed digital... | Hitachi Group-owned digital engineering scale with silicon and embedded hardware/software solutions plus a named Elektrobit automotive partnership | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Luxoft | Automotive OEMs needing infotainment and digital cockpit software... | Automotive software systems integrator with software in 50M+ vehicles, partnering with 8 of the 10 largest vehicle manufacturers, now under DXC Technology | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| QuEST Global | Multi-vertical enterprises needing embedded engineering alongside broader R&D. | Very broad engineering-services scale (90+ delivery centers, 18+ countries) offering end-to-end silicon and embedded engineering directly to chipmakers | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Innowise | Buyers wanting embedded work bundled with broader software... | Large-scale IT outsourcing capacity with an IoT/embedded delivery line inside a much broader software portfolio | 3.8 | Full comparison |
| Avenga | Enterprises wanting IoT engineering inside a broad digital... | Broad software, data, and IoT portfolio backed by scale from consolidating multiple acquired firms since 2017 | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| Capgemini Engineering | Global enterprises needing embedded work inside a broad... | One of the largest global engineering consultancies by headcount, with embedded/electronics as one of many technical domains covered | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| LTTS | Large enterprises needing embedded engineering with public-company governance. | Publicly-listed engineering R&D scale (23,800+ engineers) backed by the L&T Group, spanning embedded, automotive, and industrial IoT | 3.7 | Full comparison |
| HCLTech | Global enterprises wanting embedded engineering as part of... | Embedded engineering delivered by the Engineering & R&D Services business unit inside one of the world's largest IT services companies | 3.7 | Full comparison |
Elektrobit FAQ
What is Elektrobit?
Major automotive embedded software vendor owned by Continental
How much does Elektrobit charge?
Elektrobit uses fixed project, licensing, dedicated team pricing. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. A discovery call is required to get project-specific quotes.
What tech stack does Elektrobit use?
Elektrobit works with AUTOSAR, C/C++, Embedded Linux, ISO 26262-aware development, ECU software platforms. Primary industries served include Automotive.
Is Elektrobit right for enterprise?
Automotive OEMs needing AUTOSAR and ECU software at production scale. 1,000–5,000 team size. Key consideration: Wholly-owned subsidiary of Continental since 2015 — engagement priorities may be shaped by Continental's broader Tier 1 supplier relationships.
What are the best Elektrobit alternatives?
The best alternatives to Elektrobit depend on your use case. Top options are:
- Lemberg Solutions: owns electrical, firmware, linux, fpga, and cloud/edge ai in-house, backed by a certified hardware lab and named semiconductor partnerships
- SYSGO: vendor of pikeos, the first rtos/hypervisor to achieve sil 4 safety certification, now backed by thales group ownership
- Pengutronix: directly verifiable upstream linux kernel contributions (2,500+ changes across 4,000+ files in 2023 alone) — a depth signal that's independently checkable, not marketing copy
Compare Elektrobit with other Embedded Software Development companies
Elektrobit vs Lemberg Solutions Elektrobit vs SYSGO Elektrobit vs Pengutronix Elektrobit vs DornerWorks Elektrobit vs Vector Informatik Elektrobit vs emlix Elektrobit vs Bosch Engineering Elektrobit vs Enea Elektrobit vs Witekio Elektrobit vs Promwad Elektrobit vs Sirin Software Elektrobit vs MicroSys Electronics Elektrobit vs Timesys Elektrobit vs ByteSnap Design Elektrobit vs Klika Tech Elektrobit vs Integra Sources Elektrobit vs Softeq Development Elektrobit vs KPIT Technologies Elektrobit vs Tata Elxsi Elektrobit vs Data Respons Elektrobit vs Wind River Elektrobit vs Cyient Elektrobit vs Intellias Elektrobit vs N-iX Elektrobit vs GlobalLogic Elektrobit vs Luxoft Elektrobit vs QuEST Global Elektrobit vs Innowise Elektrobit vs Avenga Elektrobit vs Capgemini Engineering Elektrobit vs LTTS Elektrobit vs HCLTech
Verify all details directly with Elektrobit before making a decision.