More than a year after saying it would shutter its Detroit-Hamtramck plant because of low demand for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Chevy Volt production, General Motors (GM) is pledging to invest $2.2 billion to make electric trucks and other electric vehicles (EVs) there.
The plant’s paint and body shops and general assembly area will receive comprehensive upgrades, including new machines, conveyors, controls, and tooling.
GM’s first all-electric pickup begins production in late 2021 and will be followed by the Cruise Origin, a shared, self-driving EV from autonomous vehicle (AV) startup Cruise, a company owned partially by GM and Honda. In Super Bowl commercials, the company pledged to revive the Hummer brand name as an EV pickup for the GMC brand.
When the plant is fully operational, this investment will create more than 2,200 good-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs. GM will also invest an additional $800 million in supplier tooling and other projects related to the launch of the new electric trucks.
Since the fall of 2018, GM has committed to invest more than $2.5 billion in Michigan to bring electric vehicles to market through investments at Orion assembly, GM battery lab in Warren, Brownstown, and the direct investment in Detroit-Hamtramck.
GM’s joint venture with LG Chem – which is investing $2.3 billion to manufacture battery cells in Lordstown, Ohio – will supply battery cells for the electric vehicles manufactured at Detroit-Hamtramck.
“Through this investment, GM is taking a big step forward in making our vision of an all-electric future a reality,” says Mark Reuss, GM president, during a press event at the plant. “Our electric pickup will be the first of multiple electric truck variants we will build at Detroit-Hamtramck over the next few years.”
Detroit-Hamtramck currently operates one shift of production, employing about 900 people to build the Cadillac CT6 and the Chevrolet Impala. The plant will be idle for several months beginning in February as renovations begin. https://www.gmc.com
EV, hybrid adhesives
To lower battery cost, raise performance, and ensure operational safety and reliability, Henkel materials specialists have developed adhesives to quickly produce at large-scale, reduce the risk of thermal safety concerns, and enable various battery architectures including cylindrical, pouch, and prismatic cell designs. https://www.henkel-adhesives.com
Toyota is investing $394 million to finance Joby Aviation’s all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Toyota will also share its expertise in manufacturing, quality, and cost controls to develop and produce Joby’s air vehicle.
“Air transportation has been a long-term goal for Toyota, and while we continue our work in the automobile business, this agreement sets our sights to the sky,” says Toyota Motor Corp. President and CEO Akio Toyoda.
Joby Aviation Founder and CEO JoeBen Bevirt says, “This collaboration with Toyota represents an unprecedented commitment of money and resources for us, and for this new industry, from one of the world’s leading automakers. I am excited to harness Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing prowess.”
Toyota Motor Corp. Executive Vice President Shigeki Tomoyama will join Joby’s board of directors to play an active role in setting strategic direction. https://global.toyota; https://www.jobyaviation.com
Hyundai, Uber partner to develop air taxis
Hyundai’s full-scale personal air vehicle concept at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Hyundai Motor Co.
Hyundai Motor Co. and Uber officials are partnering to develop Uber Air Taxis for a future aerial ride-share network. The first automotive company to join the Uber Elevate initiative, Hyundai brings large-scale manufacturing capability and experience mass-producing electric vehicles (EVs).
In the partnership, Hyundai will produce and deploy the air vehicles, and Uber will provide airspace support services, connections to ground transportation, and customer interfaces through an aerial ride-share network. Both parties are collaborating on infrastructure concepts to support take-off and landing for the new class of vehicles.
Jaiwon Shin, executive vice president and head of Hyundai’s Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division, says, “We expect UAM to vitalize urban communities and provide more quality time to people. We are confident that Uber Elevate is the right partner to make this innovative product readily available to as many customers as possible.”
Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, says, “We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber Air vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing high quality, reliable aircraft at high volumes to drive down passenger costs per trip.”
Hyundai is working with Uber Elevate to develop a personal air vehicle (PAV), S-A1, designed for cruising speeds up to 180mph (290km/hr), cruising altitudes of 1,000ft-to-2,000ft (300m-to-600m) above ground, to fly up to 60 miles (100km).https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en; https://www.uber.com/us/en/elevate/
ASX, Spirit AeroSystems to develop eVTOL aircraft
ASX
Aviation technology start-up Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX) and global aircraft design and manufacturing company Spirit AeroSystems are cooperating to create affordable, certified, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The program aims to converge automotive mass production techniques with the reliability of commercial-grade aerospace.
Jon Rimanelli, ASX CEO and co-founder, says Spirit brings design and manufacturing expertise to the partnership and deep knowledge in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aircraft certification. “Our partnership with Spirit aims to deliver simple, safe, and robust eVTOL aircraft that are accessible to the mass traveling public.”
Keith Hamilton, Spirit’s executive director, programs and business development, says, “This collaboration gives Spirit the opportunity to bring our world-class capabilities to this important future market for logistics and personal transportation.” https://www.iflyasx.com; https://www.spiritaero.comv
Imagining autonomous/electric vehicle experiences in 2030
Today's eMobility - design
Material science advancements could support the weight, thermal management, noise, and comfort features demanded in futuristic vehicles.
A family transport vehicle could offer spacious autonomous-capable driving, numerous infotainment screens, seating for six-to-seven passengers, changing ambient lighting, windscreen movie projection, built-in gaming options, a stowaway game/activity table, and swiveling front seats.
All photos coutresy of Covestro LLC
Electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicles (AVs), and ridesharing are changing design plans for the rider experiences of tomorrow. To realize future designs, automakers and designers are expanding the range of traditional automotive materials to create extraordinary future interiors.
Imagining 2030
In the 2030s, autonomous, rideshare vehicles will take riders on a different type of journey – one that seamlessly combines design, non-driving-related experiences, and smart functionality not available with today’s vehicles. Materials will enable advanced aesthetics and styling, acoustics, comfort, infotainment, and sustainability features.
Autonomous rideshare vehicles will be in near-constant use, accumulating miles quickly and pushing material boundaries. Cleanability, serviceability, and modularity will be key to minimize vehicle downtime. Seating will need to be lightweight and durable to easily swap out with replacement parts, allowing off-line maintenance and renovations. Users will expect to exert greater control over their environments, and interiors will take on a much different feel. The emphasis shifts from driving to the experience in the cabin. These vehicles will also feature large, interactive displays with integrated sensors that respond to touch, voice commands, or gestures.
Consumers will expect enhanced comfort for relaxation and will look for ways to change the ambience. No matter the destination, interior options that hold up to seven riders can allow them to experience the destination en-route by setting the scene using virtual reality and lighting effects. From sharing detailed hiking guides, transforming into a dance floor, or providing game matchup insights, the possibilities are practically endless.
Interior configuration options may include large windows, a spacious backseat with a storage compartment, or individual stools with a ledge to hold food and drink. High passenger traffic will create a need for durable, easy-to-clean, scratch- and chemical-resistant interiors.
Electric vehicles force a rethink of space utilization. Interior components must be lightweight for greater energy efficiency which leads to greater vehicle range. Silence is critical in an EV where there’s no internal combustion engine (ICE) noise, putting a priority on abating noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
Heating or cooling takes valuable energy away from the battery, losses which could decrease range. Therefore, maximizing thermal performance of the vehicle cabin with materials conserves battery power. Heat-reflecting panoramic roofs and thermally insulated interiors that reduce energy for air conditioning or heating could become more popular to keep the cabin comfortable.
Ridesharing will require future vehicles to accommodate the needs of many. Today’s vehicles are used only 5% of the time and are parked idle for the remaining 95%, according to a 2016 Fortune article by David Z. Morris. Ridesharing will increase vehicle use and create new durability demands.
Materials will need to withstand a constant stream of passengers without significant maintenance. Ridesharing vehicles will feature minimal construction with larger panels instead of many smaller components that can trap dirt in between them.
Emotions will also play a role in the ridesharing experience. As consumers pay more attention to the experience of riding for pleasure, they will desire high-quality materials with a high-value look and feel. Signature, stylized lighting for example, can be customized to the rider’s preferences.
The destination thru journey experience would have an interior to hold five-to-seven riders, allowing them to experience the destination en-route by setting the scene with virtual reality and lighting effects.
Use cases
The following 2030 experiences imagine how theoretical drivers and passengers will react to market trends. For example, an interior for a mom driving a carpool of kids and their gear to various sporting events and activities will require different features compared to an interior designed to transport a young professional to work.
Family vehicles – An AV/EV may offer innovative storage solutions for kids, groceries, and smelly sports equipment. A premium family transport vehicle could offer first-class treatment with luxury seating and surfaces in the front with plenty of room for kids and gear in the back atop a highly durable floor. Large, seamless displays and panels reduce the need for additional parts and weight, while creating a smooth impression. Separate, outside accessible compartments segregate the sport smells and provide removable batteries to extend vehicle range.
Driving machine vehicles would have daytime, nighttime, or relaxing driving modes. The interior would have a luxury feel with back-lit wood flooring, leather-alternative seats with illuminated stitching, and ambient mood lighting.
Premium sedan – A high-end AV/EV sedan could allow driving control yet provide automation when desired. The interior would impart a luxury feel with warm wood flooring, comfortable leather-alternative seats with illuminated stitching, and ambient mood lighting. Other features could include front-row seating that slides back, displays that blend seamlessly into walls, wraparound rear seating with built-in speakers, rearview camera displays, and navigational graphics projected on the windscreen.
Personal mass transit experience – A high-value rideshare AV would offer a private, secure place to work or unwind for two-to-four passengers. Each space has its own entrance/exit. In total privacy, passengers can participate in video conference calls, send emails, and stay up-to-date on news, weather, and the stock market. They could also relax by listening to music, watching a movie, or video chatting with friends. Sound dampened walls, plush seating, molded-in haptic controls, and storage compartments would provide an easy, comfortable commute.
Mass-transit, on-demand, rideshare – A semi-private space would offer limited customization. Each rider would be welcomed to a reserved space with directional and seat accent lighting. Lighting and infotainment would be tailored to each passenger. Riders could take advantage of Internet connectivity, display systems, adjustable seating, and storage options. Durable flooring surfaces would allow easy, quick clean-up between passengers.
Personal mass transit vehicles would be rideshare autonomous-capable models offering a private, secure place to work for two to four passengers. Each space would have an individual entrance/exit.
Materials
The driving force bringing interiors of the future to life is material science. Each material offers key features and benefits for a variety of applications to enhance the rider experience.
Polycarbonates
Ambient lighting: Polycarbonate materials enable ambient lighting to adapt to each rider, experience
Interactive displays: Projection or large, interactive displays will feature polycarbonate materials to share information, visuals for work and entertainment; seamless displays, panels reduce need for additional parts and weight
Modular seating: Polycarbonates support lightweight, modular seating for easy maintenance, stylized surfaces
EV batteries: Lightweight polycarbonates reduce battery draw, improve heat management; thermally conductive polycarbonates support heat load management to pull heat from temperature-sensitive components
Premium family transport would contain innovative storage solutions for kids, groceries, and cargo such as smelly sports equipment. Front luxury features would include premium seating and surfaces.
Polyurethanes
Lightweight interiors: Lightweight materials provide required stiffness for rigid molded composite parts such as load floors, floor modules
The workplace commute vehicle would welcome each rider to a reserved space with directional and seat accent lighting. Lighting and infotainment would be tailored to each passenger.
Conclusion
Since the invention of the internal combustion engine in the 19th century, the individual vehicle ownership model has by and large, remained the same. AVs, EVs, connectivity, ownership models, and ridesharing are disrupting this model and significantly impacting the value chain.
Pickups are highly profitable for U.S. automakers. Relatively simple to build, commercial and consumer demand drives prices higher than most luxury cars, and brand loyalty can be extreme – more than one bar fight has started with debates of Ford’s towing capabilities vs. Ram’s HEMI torque.
As the electric vehicle (EV) market matures, the pickup market could become the biggest battleground. By the end of 2021, consumers will be able to choose from:
Tesla Cybertruck – An exercise in stainless-steel origami, the truck has thousands of pre-orders despite or because of its radical design
Ford F-150 EV – Ford’s F-Series has been the most popular vehicle in the U.S. for generations, and the company promises to defend its turf in EVs
GMC Hummer – General Motors (GM) is reviving the SUV brand name for electric pickups (See Vehicle News, pg. 29)
Rivian R1T – The EV startup will also make Lincoln EVs for Ford Motor Co. and delivery vans for Amazon
Lordstown Motors Endurance – Another startup operating out of GM’s former Ohio plant, the truck will use in-wheel motors to eliminate drivetrain components
Bollinger B2 – Set to be the most powerful and most expensive ($125,000 starting price) EV truck, the B2 is nearly as angular as the Cybertruck
Nikola Badger – Due out late this year, the 906hp Badger comes from a company that has been working on EV Class 8 trucks
In addition, GM and Toyota have hinted that electric or plug-in hybrid trucks are in the works.
The big question will be how the market will respond to this glut of truck options, making the response to 2021’s EV Pickup Wars a big test for eMobility’s future.
Navigating Digital Transformation
Features - Design & Automation
ANSYS software allows companies to digitally thread simulation across product lifecycle processes for improved workflow, optimized data.
As simulation impacts product development, users must address interoperability, data and process management, high-performance computing (HPC) integration, and traceability. Sophisticated multiphysics simulation and optimization assets must be widely available throughout engineering teams and across product life cycles. ANSYS 2020 R1 upgrades and improvements to ANSYS Minerva enable users to connect simulation and optimization to larger product lifecycle processes.
ANSYS Minerva transforms simulation intellectual property into a controlled corporate asset, captures best practices, and digitally threads simulation and optimization across the enterprise. Advanced technologies significantly improve workflows and enhance simulation process and data management (SPDM). Dashboards drive improved decision support, dynamic 3D visualization tools explore model data, and a change management system ensures reliable information.
“Navigating digital transformation is about adapting to a constantly evolving environment and using existing tools and data in new ways. With use of simulation expected to expand in the coming years, Minerva is important to Eaton and plays a key part in our larger, enterprise-wide digital prototyping and additive manufacturing (AM) initiatives,” says Todd Earls, Eaton’s vice president of information technology. “Traceability and management are essential for efficiency, and there are many steps necessary to design and manufacture parts using AM or other processes.”
An interoperable knowledge management application with an open, vendor- neutral architecture, Minerva integrates with ecosystems of simulation tools and enterprise systems, streamlining collaboration and traceability across global teams.
Eric Bantegnie, vice president and general manager at ANSYS says, “Customers across virtually every industry seek to radically improve how they leverage simulation, optimize designs, and share data to spur innovation and create products more efficiently. Minerva’s improvements help fuse simulation and optimization processes across the enterprise, establishing simulation-based design optimization workflows as a dynamic standardized process.”
VRXPERIENCE provides cutting-edge innovations for sensor, human-machine interface (HMI) and sound simulations.
Cloud platform
In ANSYS 2020 R1, ANSYS Cloud licensing options enable greater business flexibility. Companies can cost-optimize cloud software use by mixing elastic (usage-based) and traditional (leased or paid-up) licensing while accessing on-demand computer resources.
“We can simultaneously submit multiple ANSYS Mechanical jobs covering different load cases without encountering scheduling or memory capacity concerns,” says Tim Marvel, P.E., vice president, Business Development & Technology at Downing Wellhead Equipment. “For each design, we evaluate 5-to-10 options with multiple load cases. ANSYS Cloud has reduced the time of each job from 20- to-25 hours to only 2-to-4 hours.”
Automotive safety, design, acoustics
Optical simulations and new applications for embedded design deliver digital thread enhancements to boost the safety, reliability, and aesthetics of next-generation autonomous vehicles (AVs).
VRXperience Sensor – Reduced order model (ROM) radar simulation for industrial automation applications; enables testing, accuracy improvement of AV radars
VRXperience HMI – Streamlined process tests HMI prototypes
VRXperience Sound – Improved workflow, user interface; quickly detects and analyzes engine noise
VRXperience Light Simulation – (new in 2020 R1) simplifies automotive illumination design; engineering-grade light simulation; combines visual design, advanced engineering review by connecting Autodesk VRED design visualization software, ANSYS’ physics-based lighting simulations; photorealistic visualization of vehicle interior, exterior lighting
Boosting cybersecurity
ANSYS medini analyze addresses increasing market needs for systematic analysis and assessment of security threats to AV cyber-physical systems – beginning early in system design. Automakers can model limitations and weaknesses of AV system components and environmental conditions to provide cybersecurity.
Illuminating simulations
SPEOS incorporates camera simulation to increase accuracy of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AV simulations. SPEOS lets users model numerous types of lighting variations that AVs will experience and optimize AV lighting performance.
“Mazda is always eager to introduce smarter technology into their vehicles, from ADAS systems to smart headlamps, tackling the challenges to achieve high-quality requirements and scheduled targets,” says Tohru Yoshioka, deputy general manager at Mazda. “Providing physics-based design and testing of optical features, ANSYS SPEOS and VRXperience are extensively used at Mazda to perform early and iterative digital design and optimization of systems, from adaptive driving beams using complex matrices of LED units to camera systems used in AV-ADAS technology. This enables us to significantly reduce the physical prototyping and testing phase of these systems while improving safety and fast-tracking time to market.”
Safety-critical software
SCADE accelerates AV embedded control software design, incorporating capabilities to reduce development time and cost for automatic code generation of safety-critical software by more than 50%.
Extended scalability improves testing and safety of large, artificial intelligence (AI)-based perception software projects by creating direct connections to data lakes on customer cloud clusters.
Slashing development time
Twin Builder now includes Twin Builder Battery Wizard which shortens development time of building, simulating, and testing battery-powered electrical systems.
“A123 uses ANSYS Twin Builder to perform thermal simulation of their 48V battery pack development. With the help of the simulations, A123 can determine thermal dependency on electric performance, design cooling supply, calculate temperature distributions, and predict battery life,” says Shawn Zhang, senior manager, Simulation Engineering at A123 Systems. “A123 also utilizes ANSYS Twin Builder’s read-only memory (ROM) technologies for simplifying complex 3D thermal simulation which significantly reduces the simulation time from days to a few seconds while keeping the required simulation accuracy.”
Twin Builder features improve ROM capabilities, including capturing higher non-linearity components and integrating a tool-agnostic static ROM builder to enable field visualization.
Power, thermal reliability
Redhawk-SC provides insights into complex designs and slashes simulation runtime.
Totem and RedHawk support a comprehensive list of advanced FinFET nodes and 2.5D/3D-IC packaging technologies, allowing users to address multiphysics challenges of power, thermal, and reliability in ultra-large and high-performance systems-on-a chip (SoC) that are at the heart of AI, 5G, and automotive applications.
Single-pipe tooling for robotic applications features quick-release connect/disconnect couplings and bayonets. Suitable for cold and hot stamping, this tooling is easy to configure, has a compact design to minimize collisions, and Industry 4.0 features including electric signals, radio frequency identification (RFID) coding, and sensors for tooling detection and locking control.
Single pipe coupling and bayonet locking mechanisms can be mounted to different beam types, 80mm x 80mm carbon fiber beam, and come in various locking styles including mechanical, air, or electric as well as left or right versions. The tooling features an 8-pin electric plug, up to four air ports, and 10mm diameter air piping.
Combined with a carbon fiber beam, the single-pipe tooling reduces cycle times compared to aluminum and steel systems; weighs less than half of traditional materials; and is stiffer, stronger, and settles more rapidly. This enables quick robot motion paths with less vibration and idle time.
RobotStudio simulation and offline programming software now includes 3D printing capabilities, enabling users to program ABB robots for additive manufacturing (AM) in 30 minutes.
Part of the PowerPac portfolio of RobotStudio, the 3D Printing feature eliminates manual programming for faster prototype production. The 3D Printing PowerPac supports welding and printing and is suitable for low-volume, high-mix printing.
Any standard slicer software design can be translated into ABB’s simulation environment and robot code.
The Commander core motion controller is a secure 4-axis hybrid integrated circuit (IC), flexible and scalable from prototype to production while remaining cost-effective for high-volume applications.
Its BASIC-like programming language (A-SCRIPT) allows programmers to compile, read, and write standalone programs. The software also provides multi-threading and subroutine support and can be run in PC-based and standalone modes.
Commander core’s advanced functionality includes linear, arc, circular, helix, and tangential interpolation, as well as coordinated motion and continuous buffered motion, due to its 100 buffer registers. It also allows the user to choose between trapezoidal or S-curve acceleration/deceleration, and absolute or incremental positioning. Users can make on-the-fly changes as well, shifting the speed or target position during operation.
