Industry News
EV battery safety in collisions ensured through due-care testing
At this year’s Future of Automotive Testing Conference, held as part of Automotive Testing Expo North America, Lakshmi Prasad Bhatta, manager of CAE at Mahindra Automotive North America’s Detroit MRV, discussed the engineering challenges and novel solutions for protecting high-voltage battery systems during collisions.
The electric vehicle revolution is reshaping automotive safety standards, with high-voltage battery systems emerging as a central focus. International organizations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) play a crucial role in setting the benchmark for mechanical abuse and crash testing.
LABA7 and TRE collaborate on suspension testing
A strategic collaboration has been announced between LABA7 and Team Rosberg Engineering (TRE) to advance the next generation of suspension testing solutions. This partnership combines TRE’s expertise in vehicle dynamics with LABA7’s commitment to precision testing systems for the automotive, motorcycle and mountain bike industries.
Together, the companies aim to refine LABA7’s line of suspension testing products, develop new solutions and expand their reach in key global markets. Andrius Liškus, CEO of LABA7, said, “TRE are experts in vehicle dynamics and chassis development, and the depth of their knowledge in suspension performance is phenomenal.
Volvo to leverage Dassault 3DExperience platform for EV development
Volvo Cars has chosen to deploy Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform for electric vehicle development. The platform helps automotive manufacturers streamline collaboration and deliver data-driven approaches to manage complexity.
Volvo Cars was already using Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA. The Swedish car maker will benefit from a seamless migration of its data from CATIA applications and third-party solutions to one virtual platform that facilitates collaborative design and development.
Companies can share real-time information with multiple teams worldwide and build up their revenue pipeline by reducing engineering time, lead time and costs; maximizing reuse of parts; increasing product quality; and overcoming regulatory challenges.
Neural Concept unveils digital twin solution with Nvidia Omniverse Blueprint
Neural Concept has announced that its 3D AI platform will leverage the Nvidia Omniverse Blueprint. This integration enables Neural Concept customers to create real-time interactive digital twins at scale for computer-aided engineering (CAE) product development.
Conventional OEM engineering workflows — from physics simulation to visualization — can take weeks or even months. By using Neural Concept’s 3D AI platform with the Nvidia Omniverse Blueprint, OEMs can get real-time predictions on performance, make design iterations faster and more efficiently, and make the best design decisions out of tens of millions of simulated options.
Sponsored: World-class automotive wind tunnel for sale
*Sponsored content
London, UK-based Peer Group is offering for sale a state-of-the-art 50% scale moving plane closed-loop wind tunnel operated and developed by the famous race car manufacturer Lola Cars and engineered by Canadian specialists Aiolos Engineering.
The Lola Tunnel has achieved great success in both global motorsport and with automotive OEMs seeking to optimize vehicle performance. It has a great reputation for delivering excellent test results, which many other tunnels failed to achieve.
Rivian and Volkswagen Group launch partnership for next-gen SDV platforms
Rivian and Volkswagen Group have launched their new joint venture, Rivian and VW Group Technologies, through which they aim to bring next-generation electrical architecture and software technology for their future EVs.
The joint venture will be headed by Wassym Bensaid (Rivian) and Carsten Helbing (Volkswagen Group), with developers and software engineers from both companies joining the JV. Teams will be based in Palo Alto, California, initially, and three other sites are also in development in North America and Europe.
First phase of BMW’s Wackersdorf battery testing center comes on-stream
Last year, BMW Group announced plans to build a new battery testing center at Wackersdorf in Germany. The company has now completed the initial phase of the project, with the facility set to open in late 2025.
The site spans over 8,000m2 and will be responsible for rigorously testing individual battery cells, complete high-voltage batteries and other EV powertrain components for future BMW models early in development. The investment of around €100m (US$106m) has focused on complex test-bench technology and the upgrades to the building’s existing infrastructure required for operation.
How modeling and simulation are changing innovation
Virtual engineering continues to redefine the trajectory of automotive development, extending its transformative influence even to the realm of adhesive technologies
We are experiencing the most rapid period of change that automotive manufacturing has seen in the past several decades. The pressure to innovate quickly and efficiently has never been greater for both OEMs and suppliers. For adhesive companies focused on creating groundbreaking products, the ability to test, tweak and perfect ideas before a real-world part is made is invaluable.