Harnessing the power of Sim

Real cost savings could come from eliminating vehicle- and systems-level tests. Powerful simulation tools may be the only way to tackle the increasing complexity in mobility development.

Reliance on building and testing physical prototypes of systems and vehicles is giving way to more virtual testing using CAE simulations. It's one of the most significant trends in the mobility industry, and details of how it is evolving was the focus of a conference, “Engineering Analysis & Simulation in the Automotive Industry,” held earlier this winter and attended by Automotive Engineering. The conference was sponsored by NAFEMS, the International Association for the Engineering Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Community.

Engineers realize that while physical testing will always be needed, especially for materials properties and validating models, real cost savings could come from eliminating vehicle- and systems-level tests.