Road to lab to math

EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DESIGNED A BIODIESEL-FUELED POWER-SPLIT EXTENDED RANGE ELECTRIC VEHICLE FOR THE LATEST ECOCAR CHALLENGE.

ENGINEERING A MODERN PASSENGER VEHICLE is a time- and resource-consuming task. In recent years, the automotive industry has been employing aerospace industry practices. This is especially true when it comes to the system-level development processes, which the aerospace industry has established due to the difficulty and inherent danger in testing an unproven, dangerous prototype.

Virtual designs can be “driven” to determine platform viability, performance characteristics, and control algorithms, allowing for a more rapid, cheaper, and safer development process. Physical prototypes, which are expensive to build, are being used for final verification rather than as a starting point.