Geely and Foretellix, a leading provider of safety-driven Verification & Validation (V&V) solutions for Autonomous Vehicles (AV), announced a strategic partnership to enable safe large-scale deployment of AVs while reducing Geely’s R&D costs and increasing development efficiency. Foretellix and Geely will collaborate to integrate Foretellix’ Foretify platform with Geely’s development... Read more →

Several air taxi companies are using a NASA-developed computer software tool to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool allows manufacturers working in fields related to NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility mission to see early in the aircraft development process how design elements like propellors or wings would perform. This... Read more →

ESI Group and FAW-Volkswagen (FAW-VW) TE have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at advancing intelligent simulation technology within the automotive industry. FAW-Volkswagen is a passenger auto manufacturer jointly managed by First Automotive Group Corporation, Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen (China) Investment Co., Ltd. ESI Group, a part... Read more →

Sumitomo Rubber has developed a new simulation technique called Tire Aerodynamic Simulation,which is used in the process of tire development. In order to reduce the electricity consumption of electric vehicles (EVs), it is important to minimize tire rolling resistance as well as air resistance around the tire. Sumitomo is pursuing... Read more →

Simulation software specialist rFpro announced a collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation to develop high-fidelity sensor models integrated into rFpro software. The collaboration will focus on improving the fidelity of simulation solutions to reduce significantly the requirement to collect physical data during the sensor development cycle. It will enable perception... Read more →

Microchip Technology introduced the MPLAB SiC Power Simulator that quickly evaluates Microchip’s silicon carbide (SiC) power devices and modules across various topologies before committing a design to hardware. Microchip’s MPLAB SiC Power Simulator is a PLECS (Piecewise Linear Electrical Circuit Simulation)-based software environment designed in collaboration with Plexim (the providers... Read more →

Autofleet has introduced a new, self-serve https://autofleet.io/simulator that makes it quick and easy to plan accurately all aspects of the deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and build-out of Charging Infrastructure. This includes considerations such as vehicle models and range, as well as charger placement, type and quantity, measured against a... Read more →

In a recent simulation study reported in Porsche Engineering Magazine, Porsche Engineering examined the potential of hydrogen combustion engines. The result is a high-performance powertrain with emissions at the same level as ambient air. Current work on hydrogen combustion engines worldwide is predominantly being done for commercial vehicles with a... Read more →

Test and measurement company TOYO Corporation announced that a major US automotive manufacturer recently selected TOYO’s vehicle-in-the-loop simulator (ViLS) for testing and validating its next generation of electric vehicles (EVs) and autonomous vehicles. The ViLS allows automotive engineers to perform a wide variety of vehicle, environmental, and road testing under... Read more →

Korea-based MORAI, a developer of full-stack autonomous vehicle simulation technology, secured a US$20-million Series B funding round. The round includes investment from new investors Korea Investment Partners, KB Investment, and the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), as well as from existing investors Naver’s D2 Startup Factory, Hyundai Motor Group’s ZERO1NE,... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Unity, a platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content, announced a partnership to design and build jointly a new “metaverse roadmap” and platform for Meta-Factory. The companies held a virtual Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with Youngcho Chi, President and Chief Innovation Officer... Read more →

MORAI, a developer of full-stack autonomous driving simulation technology, will unveil MORAI SIM Cloud, which uses the cloud to build a myriad of simulation environments without hardware restrictions and enable simultaneous testing, at CES 2022. MORAI SIM Cloud is the Software as a Service (SaaS) model of the existing MORAI... Read more →

AVL Powertrain UK Limited and Ford Motor Company are working together on an Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC)-funded research and development project to define, design, develop and test a driveable demonstrator Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV). The goal of the project is to accelerate UK-based FCEV expertise and know-how to support... Read more →

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation has developed a model-based development (MBD) simulation technology that shortens verification times for automotive semiconductors by about 90%. (Verification times for simulation of three-phase inverter circuits in an automotive electric power steering system during a right turn with a duration of six seconds.) The... Read more →

Drive System Design (DSD), a company specializing in the rapid engineering and development of electrified propulsion systems and associated technologies, has made significant enhancements to the latest generation of its proprietary Electrified Powertrain Optimization Process (ePOP). This advanced software-based tool combines DSD’s extensive expertise as well as its unique processes... Read more →

The all-electric Porsche Macan is ready to be tested on the road: after initial testing and development on the proving grounds of the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, the highly-camouflaged next-generation prototypes of the compact SUV are now leaving the Porsche premises for the first time. By the time the... Read more →

Argonne National Laboratory is helping Caterpillar improve efficiency and reduce emissions in their heavy-duty diesel engines. Heavy-duty diesel engines still power most large vehicles used in the construction, mining and transportation industries in the United States. Engineers are working to improve the fuel efficiency of these engines while minimizing pollution... Read more →

For the past six years, Argonne researchers have collaborated with Cummins, an engine design and manufacturing company, and software developer Convergent Science, Inc., to create predictive engine simulations using the laboratory’s high-performance computing tools. Now, they’re extending their partnership for three more years, and adding new collaborators and capabilities to... Read more →

Munich-based battery analytics company TWAICE has launched its new battery model library. Containing numerous cells of different chemistries and formats, the library makes obtaining validated cell aging simulation models significantly faster and increases the flexibility of licensing models. In addition, customers benefit from the holistic analytics platform that TWAICE offers... Read more →

Advanced engineering company D2H Advanced Technologies has delivered a project for a major vehicle manufacturer that solves a known charging issue with a production electric vehicle (EV). The company deployed its battery simulation and correlation capability to enhance battery thermal management in a fast-charge scenario, accelerating the solution development process... Read more →

Cummins has signed a multi-year agreement with digital engineering simulation company Ansys. The collaboration allows Cummins engineers to leverage Ansys’ simulation and data management tools to expedite the design and manufacture of engines with increased thermal efficiency and improved fuel economy. Cummins engineers are using Ansys’ next-generation simulation process and... Read more →

FEV has created a unique simulation and testing process for optimizing thermal propagation behavior in automotive battery packs. The new process helps reduce the risk of injury and damage resulting from battery cell thermal runaway, while also saving development time and cost. FEV has developed simulation techniques in combination with... Read more →

Automotive test system supplier AB Dynamics has launched a new static driving simulator, the aVDS-S. It brings unprecedented levels of driver immersion to this sector of the market and enhances its growing portfolio of testing equipment that links together to deliver highly detailed, consistent results. At a time when driver-in-the-loop... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation will make its Total Human Model for Safety (THUMS) software freely available from January 2021 as part of its efforts toward a safe mobility society. THUMS is a virtual human body model software program for computer analysis of human body injuries caused in vehicle collisions. Free access... Read more →

HOMER Energy by UL, a global developer of energy modeling software, announced that HOMER Grid, software for designing grid-tied distributed energy projects, can now model how hybrid systems power electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The new capability helps users design optimal renewable energy and storage systems to reduce utility costs—especially... Read more →

Ricardo has become a “Groundbreaker,” one of a handful of international companies collaborating in the newly formed Digital Twin Consortium, which seeks to drive consistency in vocabulary, architecture, security and interoperability. Led by a steering committee consisting of founders Ansys, Dell, Lendlease and Microsoft, the open-membership Consortium represents an international... Read more →

The latest 2020.1 release of powertrain design and optimization software from Ricardo encompasses a new approach to the design and optimization of transmission systems for all types of vehicle—including the latest hybrid and pure battery electric concepts, along with a wealth of new features and capabilities. The 2020.1 Ricardo Software... Read more →

Brazil-based oil company Petrobras will direct part of the processing capacity of its high-performance computers (HPC) to contribute to the Folding@home Project effort on studying the coronavirus behavior in the human body and how the disease progresses, from the interaction of viral proteins, making way for for the development of... Read more →

A software package, 10 years in the making, that can predict the behavior of nuclear reactors’ cores with stunning accuracy has been licensed commercially for the first time. The nonprofit Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is the first to hold a commercial license for the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications... Read more →

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory are developing a new dynamic aircraft simulation tool—named Aeronomie—that will allow engineers to simulate entire flights and test how all kinds of aircraft perform—including electric and hybrid airplanes, vehicles for urban air mobility, and unmanned aerial vehicles. With Aeronomie, users can automatically build virtual aircraft... Read more →

Researchers at IBM and Daimler AG have used a quantum computer to model the dipole moment of three lithium-containing molecules, with an eye on moving closer to next-generation lithium sulfur (Li-S) batteries. In a research paper published on arXiv.org, the researchers report simulating the ground state energies and the dipole... Read more →

Nuclear scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have established a Nuclear Quality Assurance-1 program for a software product designed to simulate today’s commercial nuclear reactors, removing a significant barrier for industry adoption of the technology. The suite of tools called VERA, the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications developed by the... Read more →

Researchers at Loughborough University have been awarded funding of £3.1 million (US$4 million) to help develop the next generation of electrified vehicle technologies by enhancing the virtual product development process. Currently, vehicle development involves significant prototyping and practical testing which can be very expensive, time-consuming and often leads to compromises... Read more →

The 2019.2 release of powertrain design and optimization software from Ricardo provides enhancements across the entire suite of products. In keeping with its strategy of combining upgrades into major releases and ensuring that all customers have the most up-to-date software at the earliest opportunity, the 2019.2 release from Ricardo Software... Read more →

Supplier of advanced automotive test systems AB Dynamics (ABDP) has acquired the simulation software specialist rFpro. This strengthens the company’s position in the simulation-based verification market for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) and autonomous vehicles. rFpro is a specialist in driving simulation for ADAS, autonomous systems and vehicle dynamics. Its... Read more →

At the 2019 IAA Frankfurt in September, Tenneco’sPowertrain division will present its award-winning PRiME 3D simulation software which has been shown to cut development time for engine cylinder components by up to 70%. In an industry first, the software tool enables the generation of a physically realistic virtual model of... Read more →

Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, working in collaboration with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Convergent Science Inc., have created a new numerical modeling tool that allows for a better understanding of rotating detonation engines that could one day propel the next generation of... Read more →

In a step toward advancing small modular nuclear reactor designs, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have run reactor simulations on ORNL supercomputer Summit with greater-than-expected computational efficiency. The team’s experiments tracked 100 billion particle histories—which are collections of unique, individual neutron interactions that occur within a reactor core—on Summit’s... Read more →

The ongoing development of Volkswagen’s ID. R electric racer (earlier post) is in full swing. The latest version of the prototype, powered by two electric motors with a 500 kW (680 PS) system performance, will this summer chase the lap record for electric vehicles on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife with Romain Dumas... Read more →

Ricardo Software announced major updates to its proprietary suite of computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulation and analysis products. Now available for download by customers, Ricardo Software’s 2019.1 release provides significant enhancements in integration and functionality across the full product range, helping to enable cleaner and more fuel-efficient products to be brought... Read more →

Scientists from the University of Maryland (UMD), Baidu Research and the University of Hong Kong have developed a photo-realistic simulation system for training and validating self-driving vehicles. The new system provides a richer, more authentic simulation than current systems that use game engines or high-fidelity computer graphics and mathematically rendered... Read more →

Caterpillar Inc. and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are teaming up to research heavy-duty diesel engines. This project is funded by the Department’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and is one of seven public-private partnerships recently selected under the DOE’s High Performance... Read more →

SmartTruck, a small business in Greenville, SC, recently completed its first detailed unsteady analysis using modeling and simulation at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and has become the first company to request certification from the EPA through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). In 2016, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)... Read more →

UK software specialist rFpro is developing a highly accurate virtual model of Applus+ IDIADA’s proving ground to be used for the development of vehicles in simulation. The Digital Twin of the proving ground enables vehicle manufacturers to accelerate the development of ADAS and CAVs (Connected Autonomous Vehicles) by testing them... Read more →

New and enhanced versions of NREL’s Future Automotive Systems Technology Simulator (FASTSim) are now available for free download in Python and Microsoft Excel formats. FASTSim provides a quick and simple way to compare powertrains and estimate the impact of technology improvements on light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicle efficiency, performance, cost,... Read more →

Groupe PSA and Ecole Centrale de Nantes have launched of an R&D partnership to optimize powertrain design processes for the group’s future vehicles. The aim of the partnership is to accelerate the use of digital simulation techniques in the design, development and testing of powertrains and increase model predictability. In... Read more →

A new earth modeling system will support weather-scale resolution and use advanced computers to simulate aspects of Earth’s variability and anticipate decadal changes that will impact the US energy sector in coming years. After four years of development, the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) is being released to the... Read more →

Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory are developing advanced machine learning techniques with high-performance computing (HPC) to help organizations reduce design time from months to days and slash development costs. In the latest example of the work, the Argonne team, with colleagues from Convergent Science... Read more →

NVIDIA has introduced a cloud-based system for testing autonomous vehicles using photorealistic simulation, creating a safer, more scalable method for bringing self-driving cars to the roads. NVIDIA DRIVE Constellation is based on two different servers. The first server runs NVIDIA DRIVE Sim software to simulate a self-driving vehicle’s sensors, such... Read more →

New Flyer of America Inc., the US subsidiary of New Flyer Industries Inc., the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America, has commissioned the Xcelsior CHARGE Bus Simulator at New Flyer of America’s Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), an innovation lab dedicated to advancing bus... Read more →