5 4
simulation
By providing simulation and test
ing software, AVL supports its cus
tomers throughout the entire de
velopment process. In particular,
simulation solutions provide high-
definition models and insights in
to the behavior and interactions
of components, systems and entire
vehicles. Additionally, virtualiza
tion enables system validation tests
in early development stages, signifi
cantly reducing customers’ needs for
vehicle prototypes, while ensuring
highly repeatable test conditions.
One of the most crucial data sources
for modeling are those from vehicles
in motion. The high volume of data
generated and exchanged by increas
ingly complex systems can be a valu
able treasure if properly evaluated.
Engineers are therefore taking a sys
temic approach to development and
no longer just looking at the individ
ual components in isolation. This re
quires them to have both the knowl
edge and the tool landscape to work
across disciplines.
The best case is to connect the real
and virtual worlds, which is sup
ported by AVL’s global Integrated
and Open Development Platform
(IODP) business unit. For exam
ple, not all components of a power
train need to be connected to the
engine in order to be tested. “You
can put a real engine on the testbed
and then simulate different models
of batteries, e-motors and vehicles
to test their behavior,” says Wolf
gang Puntigam, Global Business
Unit Manager, IODP.
The heart of IODP is so-called
“connected software”. Simulation
supports the connection of single
components of a vehicle to real con
ditions. “Open” means that not ev
erything is necessarily developed by
AVL. “We analyze the status quo,
define development tasks and vir
tualize them together with our cus
tomers”, explains Puntigam. In this
hybrid world, his credo is crystal
clear: As the industry is moving
to a software-defined eco-system,
“we continue combining our exist
ing global software forces with our
automotive domain applications
know-how to serve our customers
within this transformation.”
THE TWIN THAT BEATS THE ORIGINAL
The enforcement of simulation to avoid high testing effort and cost is a
general trend in the industry. With e-mobility on the rise, there are new car
makers on the market who aim to have their models ready for the market
in less than 18 months. Historically, this requirement would have been an
illusion. The key to accelerating complex vehicle development is therefore
virtualization. With the high quality of the Virtual Twin, more and more
engineers are realizing the potential to replace time-consuming and costly
testing of physical prototypes in development. It is the digital replication
of a single cell, a component, the entire system and/or of a vehicle which
enables it to interact with all other objects in the system, with the software
and control functions, and above all with its environment.
AVL offers a centralized methodology with a fully integrated and automat
ed workflow. This is where Roland Wanker and his 500 employees in AVL’s
Advanced Simulation Technologies come in. “We used to be the nerds whose
job was to support the development process,” Wanker says with some pride.
“Now we’re on the front lines.”