It is common practice to develop the individual vehicle systems separately. Not until a prototype is built the systems are considered together, tested, and finally coordinated with each other as far as possible.
With electrified and software-defined vehicles, a change in the development process must now take place. As the number of functions increases, so does the number of electrical consumers and software features. The question arises as to how the systems influence each other, but also how they complement each other well. It therefore seems only logical that the automotive industry must respond to this.
More software controlled functions simultaneously mean more safety, efficiency, performance, etc. At the same time, cross-effects are increasing, resulting in ever more complex vehicles.
Particularly in e-mobility, these interdependencies between the individual systems must be closely analyzed. The pressure is intensified by the strong competition and the constantly increasing demand leads to ever shorter development times. Innovation has never been so important.
All these challenges are difficult to overcome efficiently with a conventional development process. Looking at the overall vehicle level makes it possible to simultaneously optimize (most of the times) conflicting goals such as energy consumption, range and driving characteristics.
Virtual twins realistically represent all these vehicle characteristics. They can be used in all development phases and incorporate their environment. This allows you to accelerate your development while reducing the effort required for real prototypes.
- Shorten development times through increased use of simulation - simultaneously study, model, simulate and optimize.
- Avoid conflicting goals for vehicle attributes such as comfort and performance by looking at individual systems together and holistically.
- Reduce your costs through faster development intervals and fewer prototypes.
- Validate your model with data from the Vehicle Model Factory and make data-based decisions.
The mobility revolution is in full swing. This is not just about developing new, more sustainable propulsion systems. Rather, the entire development process is in upheaval - with simulation taking the lead.
Right now, it's important to understand the challenge that each of us - OEMs and suppliers alike - face when it comes to pushing the boundaries of both our design process and our engineers. As the number of different systems grows, departments and team structures are changing. We understand that. At AVL, we go through these processes as well, because we are not just software developers. We are also engineers and therefore users. We implement our knowledge in intuitive workflows, generators, wizards, and evaluations in our software and projects.
