R&D Archives

Lotus E-R9 – endurance racer of the future

*Visit www.bhpetrol.com.my to know more about promotions at BHPetromart.*

Sportscar makers – as well as every other carmaker – know that the future is electric and they cannot waste any more time just doing R&D but actually get products out on the roads for sale. Nevertheless, the process of R&D still has to continue to advance technologies as well as develop new ones.

Motorsports offer a good testbed for R&D as extreme conditions are encountered, for which solutions to problems have to be found quickly with the competitive environment. The learnings gained by the engineers can be brought back and use for production cars.

Lotus appears to be doing just that with the E-R9, a dramatic new design study for a next-generation pure electric endurance racer that could be on the starting grid of circuits around the world for the 2030 racing season.

‘E-R’ stands for Endurance Racer, while ‘9’ is the car’s competition number carefully chosen in tribute to Lotus’ racing past. It was in a Lotus Mark IX that the race team made its debut appearance at the Le Mans 24 Hours, with company founder Colin Chapman among the drivers competing. The year was 1955, meaning the E-R9 race car concept – if raced in 2030 – would be in celebration of the Mark IX’s 75th anniversary.

Technology showcase
The E-R9 has been developed by Lotus Engineering and is intended to serve as a technology showcase of Lotus philosophy, capability and innovative spirit in the fields of advanced electrified powertrains and aerodynamics. It was developed by the engineering team that included Louis Kerr, principal platform engineer on the Lotus Evija pure electric hypercar as well as technical director, GT, Geely Group Motorsports International.

Visually, it was brought to life by the Lotus Design team, led by Russell Carr, Design Director for Lotus. Finished in striking black and gold – a clear nod to Lotus’ pioneering motorsport heritage that led to 13 Formula 1 championship titles – the EV features a sleek fighter jet-style canopy centrally mounted in a delta-wing upper body.

‘Morphing’ body panels
Chief among the car’s aero innovations are its ‘morphing’ body panels. Located across the delta-wing profile, this adaptability – where active surfaces can change their shape and attitude to the air flow either at the press of a button by the driver or automatically according to performance sensor inputs – would deliver minimum drag on the straights and maximum downforce in the corners.

Vertical control surfaces at the rear would generate aerodynamic forces to help the car change direction, without the limitations of grip at the tyre contact patch. The result is a racer that’s partly driven like a car and partly flown like a fighter jet.

Technology from Evija
The E-R9 has an advanced electric drivetrain powering each wheel independently, a system enhanced with torque-vectoring. It builds on technology already integrated on the Evija though, for the E-R9, the system would be fully adjustable by the driver on the move.

“Battery energy density and power density are developing significantly year on year. Before 2030, we’ll have mixed cell chemistry batteries that give the best of both worlds, as well as the ability to ‘hot-swap’ batteries during pitstops,” predicts Kerr.

The Electric Drive Unit (EDU) test cell is an all-new facility at Lotus Engineering. It allows engineers to test EV powertrains including the motor, gearbox and supporting electronics. Lotus software can communicate with the motor control system and load the powertrain as if it were in a vehicle, to test, develop and validate its performance.

The phenomenal aerodynamics of the Lotus Evija hypercar explained

Bacalar Car Zero in final phases of testing by Bentley Mulliner

The first member of the Bentley Mulliner Coachbuilt portfolio – the Bacalar – is now undergoing final test, development and durability work ahead of the start of build next year of 12 pre-sold customer cars. The on-car validation programmes have been condensed into an extremely busy schedule covering 20 weeks, which started this month.

So far, the car – designated Bacalar Car Zero – has completed wind tunnel-based aerodynamic assessment, high speed stability and top speed testing, handling and dynamics evaluations, appraisal of noise and vibration, and careful thermal measurements. It now enters a period of ongoing customer-focused mileage accumulation and durability work, before a phase of climate cycle testing up to 80°C and an intensive electrical system validation.

The purpose-built engineering prototype and the first barchetta-style Bentley of the modern era is already accumulating mileage and passing crucial quality tests at a variety of locations around Europe.

All of this work is vital to sign-off the new and bespoke nature of the Bacalar. It incorporates a total of more than 750 new components, all of which have to pass Bentley’s exceptionally stringent quality, functionality and durability standards. More than 40 of those parts are crafted in carbonfibre, while a complement of nearly 100 are produced using rapid additive manufacture techniques.

“Very much like Blower Car Zero that we unveiled earlier, Bacalar Car Zero is the crucial prototype that we’re using to sign-off the design, engineering and craftsmanship of this ground-breaking part of Bentley Mulliner’s future. The Bacalar is a thoroughly modern iteration of the coachbuilt Bentleys of the past – extremely rare, entirely handcrafted, totally bespoke to each customer and exquisite in its details. The whole team behind the car is thrilled to see the prototype shrugging off every test we throw at it, and we’re really looking forward to starting the build of the 12 customer cars,” said Bentley’s Director of Mulliner, Paul Williams.

2021 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar — *Each of the 12 cars (already sold) will be uniquely personalised to the requirements of the customer.*

Just 12 examples of this striking, limited edition model are being created, guaranteeing rarity and exclusivity. The Bacalar looks to the future of bespoke luxury motoring as each model will be handcrafted according to the individual customer’s personal tastes.

This exceptionally rare car is appropriately named after Laguna Bacalar in Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, a lake renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, continuing Bentley’s strategy of naming cars after remarkable landmarks which started with Bentayga in 2015.

*Bentley Mulliner will personalise a car in any way specified by the customer… even with this rainbow finish.*

The Bacalar brought to life by Bentley Mulliner is a roofless Barchetta design with all-new and highly muscular coachwork. Embracing a myriad of options and materials, each Bacalar will be truly unique, the result of direct interaction between the Bentley Mulliner design team and the individual customer.

The Bacalar features an enhanced version of Bentley’s 6-litre, W12 TSI engine. Claimed to be the most advanced 12-cylinder engine in the world, it produces 659 ps/900 Nm, delivered to the wheels through an advanced Active All-Wheel-Drive System. The system allows the Bacalar to use rear-wheel drive as much as possible during normal driving for optimum efficiency and dynamic performance.

The Bacalar shares no body panel with any other car in the Bentley model line-up and derives inspiration from the dramatic EXP 100 GT concept car conceived to mark the company’s centenary last year. Indeed, it only shares one exterior component with a Continental GT – the door handle, simply because it contains the keyless entry system.

The rear clamshell, wings and top deck of the Bacalar are crafted from carbonfibre, while the doors are lightweight aluminium. Combined with the use of three-dimensional printing, it has allowed designers to create an even more distinctive car.

The exterior look of each model is completed in collaboration with individual customers, who have been able to further personalise their car, choosing from rare paint options, exterior treatments and design themes. The Bacalar represents a return to the exciting early years of Bentley, allowing owners to help shape the car of their dreams.

Only 12 people will get to own this super exclusive Bentley Bacalar (w/VIDEO)

Car manufacturers have the ultimate driving simulators

Sim racing has been growing in popularity and software developers have been challenged to come out with more and more realistic programs. The hardware has also become more sophisticated with expensive seats that can provide driving sensations and steering wheels with feedback. However, for most people, the simulations are still constrained by processing power and that depends on the computer systems they use although there is also dedicated hardware like what is offered by Playstation.

For the ultimate in simulations, it is still in the R&D centres of car manufacturers where there are powerful computers that can generate simulations to a far greater degree. One such driving simulation centre is at Mercedes-Benz and it is already 10 years old. Located at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Centre in Germany, the facility was the most modern moving-base driving simulator when it opened in 2010. Prior to that, the very first simulator in the company was designed in-house in 1985.

With its 360° screen, fast electric drive and a 12-metre long rail for transverse and longitudinal movements, it continues to be one of the most capable facilities in the automobile industry. It allows highly dynamic driving manoeuvres such as lane-changes to be realistically simulated. The driving simulator also plays an important role on the way to autonomous driving.

Simulation is even more important now
“Mercedes-Benz has been systematically working towards digitisation in its development and testing for many years. But never before has simulation been as important as now, when it comes to conditionally automated driving,” said Dr. Michael Hafner, Head of Automated Driving at Mercedes-Benz.

During the virtual testing of automated vehicles, the simulator quickly and efficiently allows many scenarios to be enacted that do not occur in real tests, or not often enough, because they are so infrequent. Moreover, with no physical danger, the safety developers are able to provoke situations in which the driver needs to take over control very quickly. They use the simulator to observe and assess the interaction of the driver and measure reaction times.

Numerous simulations are carried out at Mercedes-Benz during the development and testing of new vehicles. Digital prototypes are created with the help of high-performance computers make it possible to test a new model completely in many driving situations – before the real vehicle even exists. As a result, the actual prototypes attain a higher ‘maturity’ level more quickly, allowing even more detailed testing.

Digital smartglasses for the future
The next stage in simulator technology is also being tested in the conceptual phase at Mercedes-Benz. Together with their colleagues in the Virtual Reality Centre, the driving simulator experts at have developed and designed a new XR driving simulator. This is where the real and virtual surroundings blend even more closely than before, hence the designation Extended Reality.

Only very few controls physically exist in this simulator; along with the driver’s seat, these are the steering wheel with touch controls, the pedal cluster and the Start switch. The respective specialist departments supply CAD data sets, UI and function models which are converted into the appropriate software by the simulation experts. This makes the driving simulation centre a ‘digital vehicle workshop’”. The XR driving simulator is the ideal addition to conventional simulators based on the cockpit of a real vehicle.

To this end, the tester only needs to take a seat and put on the smartglasses. The new simulator allows various interior functions such as display and control concepts or lighting scenarios to be staged in a still early development phase.

For the first time it is also possible to simulate parking situations under laboratory conditions. The level of realism is very high: for example, the view reflected by the exterior and rearview mirrors changes with the viewing angle. The tester’s eye direction is tracked by the smartglasses, and the mirror image adapted accordingly. The vehicle’s surroundings with other vehicles or pedestrians are also simulated very realistically.

Numerous other simulators are used in addition to the moving-base driving simulator. With a ride simulator it is possible to carry out subjective assessments of the performance of digital prototypes driving on uneven roads, for example.

Active Safety systems can be tested
A realistic impression of Ative Safety systems already installed in production vehicles is provided by the simulator for assistance systems. A virtual test drive becomes an impressive Active Safety experience when the occupants of the simulator interactively, rapidly and directly experience the current assistance systems in different scenarios at the touch of a button.

“The best possible development results are obtained from an intelligent combination of modern simulation methods and intensive practical tests. Several million test kilometres in road traffic continue to be an indispensable part of development work. Simulation cannot completely replace real testing, it remains an elementary tool for the development and approval of safety-related systems,” said Dr. Hafner.

Click here for other news and articles about Mercedes-Benz.

20 years of crashes to make cars safer

“Cars are driven by people. The guiding principle behind everything we make at Volvo, therefore, is and must remain, safety.” This was laid down by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustav Larson, the founders of the Swedish company, in 1927 and the principle has been upheld to this day. Whenever Volvo is mentioned, most people will think of ‘safety’ and indeed, its vehicles are among the safest in the world.

The company has pioneered many safety features and on average, it crashes at least one brand new Volvo a day. In earlier years, the facilities were outdoors and fairly basic – vehicles were basically driven against each other or into solid barriers to study the effects of such impacts.

*The two founders of Volvo made safety the guiding principle of the company and that principle is upheld up to today.*

Advanced crash laboratory
Eventually, crash test laboratories were built and allowed more detailed assessments with sophisticated instruments for recording and measuring. Virtually every carmaker had one and in 2000, Volvo opened its brand new Safety Centre which was one of the most advanced crash labs in the world and in many ways it still is today.

This facility helps engineers at Volvo Cars push the envelope in safety and to learn from real-life traffic accidents, as the company aims for a future in which no one is killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.

“Being committed to safety is not about passing a test or getting a safety rating,” said Thomas Broberg, one of Volvo Cars’ leading safety engineers and a two-decade company veteran. “Our commitment to safety is about finding out how and why accidents and injuries occur and then developing the technology to help prevent them. We hope our pioneering work will inspire others to follow, our ambition to reduce road traffic casualties worldwide.”

Testing beyond regulatory requirements
The Volvo Cars Safety Centre crash lab is a multifunctional facility that allows Volvo Cars safety engineers to recreate countless traffic situations and accidents, and perform tests that go beyond regulatory requirements.

The lab contains two test tracks of 108 and 154 metres long. The shorter of the two is moveable and can be positioned at an angle between 0 and 90 degrees, allowing for crash test at different angles and speeds, or to simulate a crash between two moving cars. Cars can be crashed at speeds up to 120 km/h.

Outside, there is room for performing tests like roll-over crashes and run-off road scenarios, whereby cars are launched into a ditch at high speeds. Here, Volvo Cars also offers rescue services opportunities to practice and develop their life-saving skills, as it did earlier this year when it dropped new Volvos from a height of 30 metres to simulate the heavy damage found in extreme crash scenarios.

Inside the main hall, an enormous crash barrier is used for testing various frontal, rear and side impacts. Weighing an astonishing 850 tonnes, it can be moved around if needed with the help of air cushions.

Additionally, there are around two dozen other fixed and movable barriers that are used in crash testing, including a moose-like structure to simulate crashes involving these animals.

Recording what happens in an accident
During crashes, the car, the crash test dummies and the barriers are fitted with sensors that allow engineers to register the entire chain of events in detail. Dozens of ultra-high definition and ultra high-speed cameras also film the crash test from every angle.

Before a physical crash test, the new model under development has already gone through thousands of crash tests – in computer simulations. All the data generated by these simulations, along with the physical crash tests, is then used by Volvo’s engineers as they design the cars to the highest levels of safety and protection for the occupants.

“No matter what the scenario, we can recreate it here at the Volvo Cars Safety Centre and analyse it in detail,” said Broberg. “For me, it is very inspiring to realise that for every hour of testing and analysis we put in, we get closer and closer to our ambition that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo.”

Click here for other news and articles about Volvo.

Bugatti Dimple Airscoop – a new invention for enhanced aerodynamics (w/VIDEO)

The effects of aerodynamics on the car body and influencing how air flows over it have been studied since the 1920s. As designers came to see how certain shapes and features could reduce drag and improve performance in various ways, the styling also evolved… sometimes to extremes as with the teardrop shapes.

The quest to lower wind resistance has never been greater, especially in this age of hybrids and electric cars where every bit of resistance removed means less of the motor’s power is wasted overcoming it.

And while you might think that sportcars, with their high-powered engines, don’t really need the assistance of good aerodynamics, this aspect is even more advanced. Even the Bugatti Bolide, a concept hyper sportscar with a 1,850 ps W16 8-litre engine has many aerodynamic innovations that contribute to its ability to reach a top speed claimed to be well over 500 km/h.

Morphable outer skin
Chief among them is the Dimple Airscoop – a new technology for which a patent application was submitted a few weeks ago by Nils Ballerstein, one of the engineers at Bugatti. Since the beginning of 2020, he has been preparing a doctoral thesis project to develop a special morphable outer skin for the company’s New Technologies department – and this has now been used for the first time in the Bugatti Bolide.

The idea for the invention began in 2019, while Ballerstein was doing his master’s degree thesis. The young engineer was undertaking research for Bugatti, looking at new 3D-printed brake calipers made of titanium which cooled water as it flowed through. In order to improve the heat transfer and dissipate heat more selectively, he used a dimple pattern inside the channels. The rounded dents in the boundary layer produce turbulence – similar a golf ball.

The result was that the fluid mixes better in the channels – and the temperature in the brake caliper drops. “I was positively surprised when I saw the results with the surface patterns. I then wondered whether the same effect couldn’t be achieved with airflow,” recalled Ballerstein.

Same advantages as golf ball design
For non-scientists, the effect of the aerodynamic design is similar that that of golf balls: the dimples on the surface minimise air drag to such an extent that the ball travels about twice as far with the same impact force compared to an identical golf ball without the dimples.

The same principle applies – the dimples create turbulence on the surface of the golf ball so that air adheres better to the surface, thereby reducing the vortex flow in the slipstream of the ball and subsequently also the drag.

Ballerstein simulated test objects with dimple patterns in order to establish a factual basis to underpin his idea. After completing his master’s thesis, he stayed on with Bugatti while also starting his doctorate at the Institute of Aircraft Design and Lightweight Structures at the Technische Universitat (Technical University) Braunschweig in Germany. He sees the Bolide project as a perfect way to advance his idea.

“Everything about the Bolide is exceptional and extreme. The dimples further improve the car’s already excellent aerodynamics, thereby increasing agility and efficiency,” explained Frank Gotzke, Head of New Technologies at Bugatti.

A world first
The morphable outer skin of the intake scoop on the roof is a world first. It ensures active airflow optimisation. When the hypercar is driven at a slow speed, the surface of the scoop remains smooth; at fast speeds, a field of dimples bulges out. The 60 individual elements extend variably by up to 10 mm depending on the speed – if this benefits the driving state.

From about 80 km/h upwards, air is the dominant resistance factor, and from about 120 km/h upwards, the dimples significantly improve the car’s aerodynamics by reducing this resistance. As with the golf ball, the pattern causes a more turbulent boundary layer, which means that the air flowing around it adheres to the surface for longer and does not detach until later. As a result, the detachment and recirculation areas are reduced and the car’s cd value decreases.

In order to respond swiftly to changes in speed, the dimples extend and retract very quickly, within tenths of a second, in the same way as the active rear wing on the Veyron and the Chiron, for example.

*The Bolide is an experimental study to create a track-only hyper sportscar featuring the W16 engine. No plans for production yet so it’s a superfast testbed for developing new technologies.*

10% less drag
The overall result is that the dimples reduce the aerodynamic drag of the scoop by 10% and also decrease lift by 17%. Airflow to the rear wing is also optimised; at 320 km/h, the downforce on the rear wing is 1,800 kgs while on the front wing, it is 800 kgs.

Another benefit is that the lower aerodynamic drag also reduces the car’s fuel or energy consumption. “This is why the new technology is so crucial – not just for Bugatti. Optimised airflow can save energy on all vehicles,” explained Ballerstein. “We’re still in the development phase, but tests so far show that dimples improve aerodynamics, thereby reducing drag and increasing efficiency.”

Bugatti Bolide – a no-compromise hyper sportscar

The ultimate driving simulator for Volvo engineers

What would the ultimate driving simulator be like? For gamers, it would be a set-up with a seat that moves and a steering wheel with haptic feedback that gives the same feel as driving a car, bumps and all. And of course, and a crystal-clear virtual reality headset with all the ambient sounds to provide total immersion.

For the engineers at Volvo Cars, the ultimate simulator is simply one where it is hard to tell reality from simulation. They have developed a ground-breaking mixed-reality simulator that is at the next level, used to take new strides in safety and autonomous driving technology.

Driving on real roads
Using cutting-edge technology from the leading real-time 3D development platform Unity and Finnish virtual and mixed reality experts Varjo, the simulator involves driving a real car on real roads. It combines life-like, high definition 3D graphics, an augmented reality headset, and a full-body Teslasuit that provides haptic feedback from a virtual world, while also monitoring bodily reactions.

This combination of software and hardware allows the engineers and researchers to endlessly simulate traffic scenarios on a real test track road while using a real car, all in total safety. They can gain important insights on the interaction between people and the car for development of new safety, driver assistance and autonomous driving features.

Testers can be exposed to imagined active safety and driver assistance features, upcoming autonomous drive user interfaces, future car models and many other scenarios. It can be used on real test track roads or in the test lab, and every scenario is fully customizable. The possibilities are literally endless and importantly, safe.

Driving with a mixed reality headset
Last year, together with Varjo, Volvo Cars became the first carmaker to make it possible to drive a real car while wearing a mixed reality headset. Now that collaboration has been expanded to include Unity and full-body haptic suit maker Teslasuit.

According to Casper Wickman, senior leader of User Experience at Volvo’s Open Innovation, this enables Volvo Cars to study authentic human reactions in a safe environment and at a fraction of the cost of a real test.

“Working together with great companies like Varjo, Unity and Teslasuit has allowed us to test so many scenarios that look and feel totally real, without having to physically build anything,” said Wickman. “It lets us test drive actual cars in through traffic scenarios that look and feel real, but can be adjusted at the touch of a button.”

Testing safely
When developing safety systems for cars, like collision-avoiding technologies, testing is crucial. But testing these systems in reality can be dangerous, time-consuming and expensive. Virtual and mixed reality simulations, however, allow for perfectly safe testing in authentic environments, without having to build any physical prototypes or set up complex scenarios.

“By using this cutting-edge technology, we are exploring and leading the development for creating safe cars in the future. It’s great to play a part in that,” said Wickman.

When Volvo drove a car off a building for a crash test (w/VIDEO)

When Volvo drove a car off a building for a crash test (w/VIDEO)

Volvo Cars recently conducted its most extreme crash test ever, and it was not within the advanced Safety Centre but outdoors – with cars dropped from a crane! Ten Volvos, of different models, were dropped several times from a height of 30 metres.

Before the drop, Volvo Cars safety engineers made exact calculations about how much pressure and force each car needed to be exposed to, in order to reach the desired level of damage.

Simulating extreme accidents
The purpose: to help rescue services to prepare for any possible crash scenario and to simulate the forces that erupt in the most extreme crashes, beyond what can be simulated with ordinary crash testing.

This unusual approach helped create enough damage to adequately simulate the damage found in the most extreme crash scenarios. All findings from the crashes and the resulting extrication work will be collected in an extensive research report. This report will be made available free of use to rescue workers elsewhere, allowing them to benefit from the findings and further develop their life-saving procedures and capabilities

Similar extreme test in 1985
The crash test conducted recently was not really Volvo’s first extreme test: 35 years ago, its American subsidiary had a then-new 760 driven off a building and it fell 14 metres, hitting the ground nose-first. The impact was equivalent to a frontal collision at 50 km/h, the front end crumpling as it was ‘programmed’ to do so in order that the impact energy could be absorbed.

Back then, there was no GoPro and no drones for recording and conventional video equipment was used. Nevertheless, the resulting video – which was like a scene from an action movie – provided scary views from the seats through the windscreen as the ground rushed up.

At that time, the ‘crash’ was done not for helping rescue workers understand what a severely crashed car is like but more for promoting the safety of Volvos, and particularly the crucial value of using seatbelts.

Today’s cars are stronger
In the 1980s, the construction of most cars was fairly conventional with basically steel and plastic materials that could easily be cut. They were as safe as could be during that era, with Volvos being among the best in occupant protection. However, many of today’s cars use stronger materials, with the latest Volvos made of some of the hardest steel found in modern cars. They have more complex structural designs, and the presence of high-voltage electrical systems and battery packs in hybrid models must also be considered.

Volvo XC90 body structure — *The XC90 structure has more extensive use of hot-formed boron steel, which is the strongest type of steel presently used in the car body industry.*

Volvo therefore continuously crashes its cars, the recent one being an example, in order to get information on how the structure deforms. This will help rescuers who may use hydraulic rescue tools known in the industry as ‘jaws of life’. Extrication specialists often talk about the golden hour: the time-span they need to get injured occupants out and to the hospital for treatment.

Usually, rescue workers get their training vehicles from scrapyards. But these cars are often up to two decades old. And in terms of steel strength, safety cage construction and overall durability, there is a vast difference between modern cars and those built 15 to 20 years ago – like the 760 in the video.

*Rescue worker using ‘jaws of life’ to cut body structure if the doors cannot be opened to get the occupants out.*

This makes it crucial for rescue workers to constantly update their familiarity with newer car models and review their processes, in order to develop new extrication techniques. In other words, these training sessions can mean the difference between life and death. So at the request of the rescue services, Volvo Cars decided to step things up a notch.

“Normally we only crash cars in the laboratory, but this was the first time we dropped them from a crane,” said Hakan Gustafson, a senior investigator with the Volvo Cars Traffic Accident Research Team. “We knew we would see extreme deformations after the test, and we did this to give the rescue team a real challenge to work with.”

50 years of ‘CSI’ work to make cars safer

Prototypes and studies Porsche has never before shown to the public

Concept cars, studies and prototypes always excite the public as they are often futuristic and contain advanced technologies that may one day be available. However, many such vehicles are kept behind closed doors, and sometimes even when they are no longer of use, they are not revealed.

Over the decades, Porsche has obviously developed many prototypes to study new concepts for its future sportscars. These have typically been secret although some have been shown to the public. Now, for the first time, the carmaker is showing some of its secret design studies from 2005 to 2019. Besides revealing these models, Porsche also provides an insight into the design process – from the first drawing to the finished production model, if it got that far.

“The timeless and innovative design of our sportscars inspires people all over the world,” said Oliver Blume, CEO of Porsche AG. “Visionary concept studies form the basis for this success: they are the pool of ideas for the Porsche design of tomorrow and combine our strong tradition with pioneering future technologies.”

**Porsche Vision Spyder (2019):** With its spartan, puristic cockpit, the characteristic radiator grilles over the mid-mounted engine, red graphic elements and the suggested fins at the rear, the compact Vision Spyder clearly calls to mind the 550-1500 RS Spyder from 1954. At the same time, the study was intended to further develop the design identity of Porsche and provide a pool of ideas for future details, eg, the ultra modern roll-bar.

The design process
The design process begins with a sketch, followed by a 3D model. As soon as an idea is to be further developed, small models on a scale of 1: 3 and finally solid models on a scale of 1: 1 follow.

“The virtual world is the first step, but it is precisely the unexpected models that you have to experience in reality in order to understand how small, big or surprisingly proportioned a car is,” explained Michael Mauer, Head of Style Porsche.

In contrast to the development of a production model, in which several models with different styling themes are developed, some projects only have one vision model initially created as the protagonist of the central idea.

“Porsche intentionally has just a single design studio – located in the direct proximity of development,” said Mauer. “Weissach is our epicentre. Instead of opening advanced design studios in the distant metropolises of North America and Asia, our designers come from all over the world to Porsche in Weissach in order to create the latest production sportscars and automotive visions at the heart of the brand.

“More than 120 designers, experts for interior, exterior, colours and materials, model builders, modellers and study engineers work in the Porsche Design Studio,” he revealed.

**Porsche 919 Street (2017) :** The 919 Street was developed on the basis of the technology used in the 919 Hybrid, promising to make the exhilarating driving experience of the LMP1 racing car available to amateur drivers. Under the outer shell are the carbonfibre monocoque and powerful 900-ps hybrid racing drivetrain that helped Porsche win numerous victories at Le Mans. The dimensions and wheelbase were also the same as on the racing car.

The design studies
“When it comes to the visions we develop, it is not about bringing every car onto the road. Instead, it is more a question of establishing creative space and a relationship with the future,” said Mauer when describing the design process. “There are two possibilities for continuing to develop as a brand: either you improve your products from the present, that is to say step-by-step. However, it is difficult to be really innovative in this process. Or you give free rein to your creativity. The idea is to let your thoughts jump to the day after tomorrow, and to then move back from there to tomorrow.”

Based on this idea, Porsche develops the product and brand identity which characterises and secures the appearance of all models in the long term. The design language for future models develops from the long-term vision.

In this process, the higher-level goal is to combine the Porsche design DNA with state-of-the-art vehicle engineering. On the one hand, this secures the innovative capability of future Porsche models and, on the other, also provides an evolutionary reference to the rich history of Porsche.

**Porsche Vision ‘Renndienst’ (2018):** The Porsche vision ‘Renndienst’ is the free interpretation of a family-friendly space concept for up to 6 persons. The design team designed a futuristic ‘space shuttle’ with exciting proportions. The study shows how the Porsche design DNA with its characteristic surface modelling can be transferred to an unknown vehicle segment for the brand.

Visit Porsche Malaysia to know more about the models available that you can buy

Porsche developing a starship for the time when its business expands to galaxies far, far away

Klein Vision’s AirCar successfully completes flight tests in Slovakia (w/VIDEO)

The last time we heard about a Malaysian company developing a ‘flying car’ was a year ago when a ‘prototype’ took over at a facility near the old Subang airport. However, after that things went quiet with the project and its champion, the Entrepreneur Development Minister, also left the position to become a minister in the Prime Minister’s department.

So we don’t know what has happened to the project which had received RM20 million funding from the government but was being developed with a degree of ‘secrecy’, just like the ‘third national car’ project which has also gone ‘dark’.

However, flying car projects are nothing new and some companies elsewhere have already built such vehicles and shown them flying in public. The challenge has been to commercialise them so as to make money.

One company which has hopes of doing so is Klein Vision, whose founder and CEO, Professor Stefan Klein, has devoted the last 20 years converting his flying-car dream into reality. His flying car has reached its fifth generation of development and has completed two flights at Piestany airport in Slovakia recently. The model safely flew around the airport, landing and taking off twice.

3 minutes for transformation
Known as the AirCar (V5), it can transform from road vehicle into air vehicle in less than 3 minutes, at just the click of a button. Useful for leisure and self-driving/flying journeys, it also has potential as a commercial taxi service.

“The wing and tail deployment/retraction mechanism is very impressive, converting the automobile into an airplane. The cockpit providing space for the driver/pilot and a passenger is very roomy and nicely styled. The overall appearance of the flying car on road and in the air is superb,” said Dr. Branko Sarh, Boeing Co. Senior Technical Fellow (ret).

It is powered by a BMW 1.6-litre engine which produces 140 ps. Based on fuel consumption at a rate of 18 litres an hour, the estimated range of the AirCar is 1,000 kms. It requires a take-off run of 300 metres before getting airborne, after which it can reach up to 200 km/h in flight.

1000-km range
The engineers have kept the AirCar as light as possible since, unlike a car that only travels on the ground, it has to also be able to fly in the air. The 2-seater weighs 1,100 kgs and can carry additional load of 200 kgs per flight.

Simulation methods and design optimization have been used throughout the entire R&D stage. The AirCar is predominantly built from advanced composite materials, with all parts manufactured using high-tech methods.

Versatile concept
“With Aircar, you will arrive at your destination without the hassle of getting a ride to airport and passing through commercial security. Then you can drive the AirCar to the golf course, the office, the mall or hotel and park it in a normal parking space,” said Anton Zajac, Klein Vision’s co-founder, investor and also a pilot.

“The key flight parameters confirmed all theoretical concepts and calculations that the development of the AirCar was based on. Following the completion of all required flight tests in compliance with EASA regulations, we will deliver a model with a certified ADEPT, 300-ps engine within the next 6 months” said Professor Klein, who was also the test pilot. He added that the company already has a buyer for the AirCar.

Malaysia’s ‘flying car’ to take first flight this Thursday

50 years of ‘CSI’ work to make cars safer

No matter how many crash tests are done and how many thousands of hours of simulations are done on computers, motor vehicle accidents can still be unique due to many variable factors. While the engineers may design the vehicle to cope with various accident conditions and protect the occupants, but there will be times when a situation is so unique that the effects are severe.

This is where Volvo’s in-house ‘detectives’ come in; officially known as the Volvo Car Accident Research Team, they investigate actual accidents to obtain information and data so that Volvo can improve the safety of its cars.

Full-time work on investigations
While some other carmakers may have similar investigators or take an interest in some accident cases, Volvo Cars has had its team for the past 50 years as a full-time department, and all round the clock too.

“The Accident Research Team’s hard work and research allows Volvo Cars to make sure that a tragic traffic accident can lead to something good: ever safer cars,” said Malin Ekholm, Head of the Volvo Cars Safety Centre. “By closely analysing what has happened during each phase of an accident, the team provides crucial information on what can be improved on our cars.”

The team has been in operation since 1970 and whenever an accident involving a Volvo car occurs around Gothenburg, Volvo’s home city in Sweden, they quickly get to the scene when notified. As soon as they arrive, they start an investigation and document the sequence of events in as much detail as possible.

Understanding an accident
That means asking questions like how forceful the impact was; how quickly did the active safety systems intervene; how were the passengers; and so on. Other questions may determine weather conditions and even the condition of the road markings and signs. The team requests publicly accessible police reports, contacts the driver and examines the car when possible.

The data is brought back to the office where work continues. The team also tries to understand how the driver experienced the accident, a process that involves the Volvo Cars Safety Centre’s behavioural scientists.

Finally, the team will ask the people involved in the accident to share their medical records, which allows them to take note of any injuries sustained. These are analysed by biomechanics experts, in cooperation with physicists, to understand the exact causes of the injury.

Data is analysed and shared
All the data and knowledge collected is coded and ‘depersonalised’, becoming objective information for analysis and future reference. Conclusions from this research are shared with Volvo’s product development teams, who use it to develop and implement new technologies in upcoming cars. The team also identifies things that can’t be solved today, but can be addressed as new technology develops.

Every year, the team investigates around 30-50 accidents in person, but accidents happen all over the world and the scene can be hard to reach. In those cases, and to the degree possible, the detectives work to map out accidents with the support of Volvo personnel and emergency services closer to the site.

“The Accident Research Team is far from the only source of research data for our safety experts, but it plays an important role for us to really understand the details,” adds Malin Ekholm. “Accidents do still happen, but nowadays the consequences are much milder and serious injuries are much rarer than they used to be.”

Soon, you will be able to go only up to 180 km/h in any Volvo

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Car manufacturers have the ultimate driving simulators

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When Volvo drove a car off a building for a crash test (w/VIDEO)

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Klein Vision’s AirCar successfully completes flight tests in Slovakia (w/VIDEO)

50 years of ‘CSI’ work to make cars safer

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