The EDAG Group, an independent engineering service provider, inaugurates its Zero Prototype Lab in Wolfsburg. In this state-of-the-art vehicle dynamics simulation centre, customers from all over the world can virtually test their vehicles and key functions without having to develop prototypes. This makes the development process significantly more efficient and sustainable and also shortens the time-to-market.
Thanks to the latest simulation technology, the Zero Prototype Lab is a unique simulation centre for vehicle dynamics in Europe. Vehicle movements can be perfectly reproduced in virtual space. The centre has three test platforms for hardware, software and human-machine interface (HMI) research and development.
Simulation centre
The simulation centre is open to all market participants worldwide. It offers the chance to virtually drive new vehicles and experience them subjectively. Important functions, such as autonomous driving, can be tested by interested parties in combination with drive system function, steering, braking and acceleration. This helps carmakers, for example, reduce the construction of cost-intensive prototypes and shorten development cycles. Moreover, it is possible to optimise vehicle dynamics in the virtual world at different test sites and race tracks under controlled environmental conditions, regardless of the season. It is possible to reduce the use of materials and resources while it can minimise the carbon footprint of the development process.
Innovation for motorsport
Be it steering feel, behaviour at vehicle limits or chassis: in times of active driving safety and autonomous vehicles, it is becoming increasingly challenging to test basic vehicle characteristics. This applies not only to large series prototypes; the vehicle simulator is also a real asset for motorsport. For racing teams, numerous setup options and specific adjustments for drivers and circuits are absolutely essential. On the driving simulator in the simulation centre, one can develop a wide range of adjustments on different circuits to improve performance in no time.
Mimic circuits
All circuits can be simulated in the Zero Prototype Lab, allowing drivers to familiarise themselves with them before the start of the season. Individual sequences and parameters can be optimised until the desired lap time and corresponding driving feel are achieved. The simulation allows the same test scenario to be run repeatedly under the desired conditions, e.g. road surface, tyre material or weather conditions. It is possible to set the wind force precisely to the desired intensity. The same goes for simulating a snowy landscape. Test runs for both applications are thus no longer dependent on specific seasons.
Vehicle development
"With the opening of the Zero Prototype Lab simulation centre, we are turning a completely new page in vehicle development. Technology developers and vehicle manufacturers around the world can now reorganise their development process and work significantly faster, more efficiently and more sustainably thanks to accurate simulation," explains Harald Keller, CEO of the EDAG Group from 1 July 2024. "In this way, we stimulate ongoing changes in vehicle development and the mobility industry and enable future-oriented value creation."
Simulator features
The Zero Prototype Lab uses the VI-grade company's DiM500 Full Spectrum Simulator (DIM500 FSS), the largest and most powerful cable-driven simulator for development, racing and research focused on vehicle dynamics, vehicle movements and driver interaction. It can be used to map vehicle dynamic manoeuvres with 1:1 motion cueing. This means the driver receives realistic motion cues, merges into the virtual environment and can experience realistic driving sensations. Besides the DiM500 FSS simulator, the Zero Prototype Lab also has a VI-quality COMPACT Full Spectrum Simulator and an AutoHawk hardware-in-the-loop platform. This allows the driving simulators to be connected to existing and future hardware-in-the-loop test benches.
Photo: the EDAG Group’s new Zero Prototype Lab (Photo: EDAG Group)
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