AUTOMOTIVE

ENGINEERING ®

Software-
defined
architectures
Is your hardware
upgradable –
or soon to be
obsolete?

ALSO:
NVH simulation
& materials

Analyzing
e-motor designs

May 2021 autoengineering.sae.org

 BATTERY
+ - + - + - + AND + - + - + - +
SUMMIT
ELECTRIFICATION

June 15-16, 2021

Discover the latest battery and power innovations and
connect with designers on the front lines of the electric
revolution. Covering evolving battery advancements and requirements
across the automotive, commercial vehicle, aerospace, and defense sectors,
Illus_man/Shutterstock.com

the Battery and Electrification Summit offers two days of expert insight,
innovation, and emerging applications for design engineers and managers.

Topics include:
• Solid State: No Longer If, but When and How • Advanced Anode and Cathode Development
• The Startup Perspective • Critical Battery Materials Procurement and
Supply Security

Hear from these pioneers:

Robert Galyen Dr. Guiliang Xu
Fellow, Chairman, Battery Standards
Steering Committee, SAE International Argonne National Lab

Andrew Bowering Dr. Doron Myersdorf

Director, American Lithium Pingand
CEO Liu,Co-Founder,
Ph.D. StoreDot
Professor of Nanoengineering and Director,
Sustainable Power and Energy Center, UCSD

Toby Schulz Surya Moganty Ph.D.

Director, Electrification & Systems, Nima Golsharifi, Ph.D.
CTO, NOHMs Technologies
CoreDESIGN/Shutterstock.com

Allison Transmission Chief Executive Officer, NDB Inc.

For a complete list of sessions and presenters,

visit www.techbriefs.com/batterysummit
Presented by
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact: Kaitlyn Sommer,
Director of Marketing, SAE Media Group, ksommer@techbriefs.com.
CONTENTS
FEATURES REGULARS
16 Software transforms vehicle 2 Editorial: The will to win the
development COVER STORY climate war
Software-defined vehicles are driving major changes in hardware 4 Supplier Eye
and control architectures.
Forks in the road

20 Model-based analysis of 6 Technology Report

e-motor designs ELECTRIFICATION | SIMULATION 6 CVT is Bosch’s answer to upgrade EV
Observing the magnetic field distribution, electromagnetic torque, efficiency | ADVANCED PROPULSION
and iron loss distribution allows engineers to optimize specific 8 How 3D printing could add efficiency to EV
performance with minimal weight and material costs. power electronics | ADVANCED MANUFACTURING

24 NVH simulation meets 10 Jeep engineers a Wrangler EV with manual

gearbox | ADVANCED PROPULSION
realism SIMULATION | NVH 11 Mahle Powertrain intensifying e-mobility
New toolsets help reduce development time and bring sound and focus | ELECTRIFICATION
vibration data into the real world.
12 Road Ready
26 Metamaterials R&D targets 12 After a 30-year hiatus, Jeep remakes
NVH abatement MATERIALS the Wagoneer 
Nissan readies its lightweight acoustic solution for 2022 production 14 Alliance platform elevates 2022 Mitsubishi
— will Hyundai follow? Outlander
15 Cadillac to launch 2023 Lyriq EV months
earlier than planned 
ON THE COVER
Software, already a major factor in vehicle operation, is driving 27 Product Briefs
major changes in vehicle electronic architectures, hardware and Spotlight: 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing 
design processes as it transforms into a dominant vehicle
technology. (Continental).
30 Reader Feedback
31 Companies Mentioned, Ad Index
32 Q&A
Follow us on social media GM’s Al Oppenheiser discusses engineering the
2022 GMC Hummer SUV

@SAEAutoMag @saeaei SAE Magazines

Automotive Engineering®, May 2021, Volume 8, Number 4. Automotive Engineering
(ISSN 2331-7639) is published in January/February, March, April, May, June, July/August,
September, October, November/December by Tech Briefs Media Group, an SAE International
Company ®, 261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10016 and printed in Mechanicsburg,
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24
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free demos are available at www.saedigitallibrary.org.
(ISSN 2331-7639 print)
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Audited by

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING May 2021 1

 EDITORIAL NY, NJ, OH:
Ryan Beckman
+1.973.409.4687
Bill Visnic
rbeckman@techbriefs.com
Editorial Director
Bill.Visnic@sae.org PA/DE:
Desiree Stygar

EDITORIAL
Lindsay Brooke
+1.908.300.2539
Editor-in-Chief
dstygar@techbriefs.com
Lindsay.Brooke@sae.org
Midwest/Great Lakes:
Paul Seredynski
IN, MI, WI, IA, IL, MN
Senior Editor
Chris Kennedy
Paul.Seredynski@sae.org
+1.847.498.4520, x3008
Ryan Gehm ckennedy@techbriefs.com
Associate Editor
Midwest/Central Canada:
The will to win the climate war Ryan.Gehm@sae.org
Jennifer Shuttleworth
KS, KY, MO, NE, ND, SD, ON, MB
Bob Casey
Associate Editor +1.847.223.5225
First, the good news: the U.S. currently struggle proves that out. Jennifer.Shuttleworth@sae.org bobc@techbriefs.com

is on a steady trajectory to slash light- Even if society was willing to go all- Lisa Arrigo Southern CA, AZ, NM,
Custom Electronic Rocky Mountain States:
vehicle emissions by 50% by 2035, ac- in and accept the myriad challenges Products Editor Tim Powers
Lisa.Arrigo@sae.org +1.424.247.9207
cording to a recent Boston Consulting (led by cost), a 50% drop in GHG emis- tpowers@techbriefs.com
Group report. Much of the credit for this sions within nine years is a mammoth Contributors Northern CA, WA, OR,
Western Canada:
trend, on a practical basis, goes to engi- leap. Consider that U.S. emissions in Kami Buchholz Twyla Sulesky
Detroit Editor
neers who are developing and deploy- 2020 declined by about 12% compared +1.408.779.0005
tsulesky@techbriefs.com
Stuart Birch
ing cleaner IC-engine and electrified- to 2019, due to the pandemic-related European Editor
vehicle technologies. slowdown in economic activity. The Terry Costlow International
Electronic Technologies Editor
The reality: Moving that target ahead drop, while unprecedented, was not as Europe:
Bradley Berman Sven Anacker
by five years to 2030, as the Biden ad- steep in the EU (11%) and far less so U.S. West Coast Editor +49.202.373294.11
ministration has set out to do in the (7%) globally, according to the Global Sebastian Blanco, Don Sherman,
sa@intermediapro.de
Sabine Schoett
name of arresting climate change, will Carbon Project. Emissions from China Paul Weissler +49.202.373294.13
ss@intermediapro.de
require a Herculean lift for industry and saw an estimated drop of a mere 1.7%
the economy. And a far in 2020, during which DESIGN China:
Alan Ao
+86.21.6140.8920
deeper commitment than
I believe the voting public
Achieving a time the country put 38.4
gigawatts (GW) of new
Lois Erlacher
Creative Director
alan.ao@sae.org
Japan:
is willing and can afford 50% drop in coal-fired power capacity
Ray Carlson
Associate Art Director
Shigenori Nagatomo
+81.3.3661.6138
to accept.
How much of the effort
GHG emissions online. That was a net
gain of 29.8 GW fueled by SALES &
Nagatomo-pbi@gol.com
South Korea:

to meet the accelerated in a super- coal, even as the rest of MARKETING

Eun-Tae Kim
+82-2-564-3971/2
ksae1@ksae.org
GHG-reduction schedule
will be mandated, rather
compressed the world made cuts of
17.2 GW, according to re-
Joe Pramberger
Publisher
Integrated Media
than market driven? And timeframe is search by Global Energy
joe@techbriefs.com
Kaitlyn Sommer Consultants
how much will it cost? a mammoth Monitor. And therein lies Marketing Director
ksommer@techbriefs.com Christian DeLalla
+1.973.841.6035
Lawmakers still must another of the many in-
wrangle over the actual leap for the congruities in trying to
Martha Tress
Recruitment Sales Manager
christiand@techbriefs.com
Patrick Harvey
industry and
+1.724.772.7155
budget, of course, but solve a global problem. Martha.Tress@sae.org +1.973.409.4686
pharvey@techbriefs.com
government subsidies and There are more fish to
incentives will be needed. public. fry. The zero-emissions REGIONAL
Todd Holtz
+1.973.545.2566
tholtz@techbriefs.com
Consumers will fund them electric future needs a reli- SALES Rick Rosenberg
via increased purchase tax, hydrocar- able supply of batteries, semiconduc- North America +1.973.545.2565
rrosenberg@techbriefs.com
bon-fuel tax, road-use and parking tax, tors and rare-earth materials. Critically, New England/Eastern Canada:
ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, QC Scott Williams
electric-vehicle charging tax, V8-engine it needs a robust and “green” power Ed Marecki +1.973.545.2464
swilliams@techbriefs.com
tax, or combinations of these and oth- grid. Shifting tailpipe emissions to the +1.401.351.0274
emarecki@techbriefs.com
ers. Cash-for-ICEs, perhaps? grid won’t get us to net zero. CT:
Technology experts tell me moving Technology, and the will and finances Stan Greenfield
+1.203.938.2418
the nation remotely close to that tar- to deploy it, can achieve the 50% GHG greenco@optonline.net
get by 2030 will require a lot more reduction next decade. The Manhattan Mid-Atlantic/Southeast/TX:
DC, VA, WV, TN, NC, SC, GA, FL,
than just producing great electrified Project that developed the atomic AL, MS, LA, AR, OK, TX
Ray Tompkins
vehicles (I’m trying to keep politics out bomb and the Apollo program that +1.281.313.1004
of this column; this is a family maga- landed men on the moon each required rtompkins@techbriefs.com

zine, after all). outlays equal to about 0.4% of U.S. SUBSCRIPTIONS

+1.866.354.1125
Some will argue that no cost is too gross domestic product during their AUE@OMEDA.COM

great to bear in the effort to slow the
planet’s warming by 1.5°C by 2050. But
absent a wartime urgency about cli-
mate that the general public does not
have, consumers must be paid – or
forced by regulation and penalties – to
comply. The ongoing global COVID-19
peak funding years. Both were driven
by tangible existential threats. The abil- REPRINTS
ity to transform climate alarm into uni- Jill Kaletha
+1.574.347.4211
fied, effective global action, backed by jkaletha@mossbergco.com
public will, is the test. I’m currently not
optimistic for the outcome.
Lindsay Brooke. Editor-in-Chief

2 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

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SUPPLIER EYE
Forks in the road
S
uppliers face critical decisions on a daily
basis. Crises come and go. Dealing with
erratic production schedules driven by
semiconductor supply shortages and
coping with rising prices for strategic materials
such as steel and resin underscore the cyclical
challenges of the auto business. By comparison,
other hurdles such as hiring and retaining the
right talent are just frosting on the cake.
Then comes battery-electric vehicle (BEV)
propulsion and the significant investments and,
in some cases, upheaval it demands. For
suppliers, the changes that will impact most
functional vehicle systems due to the EV trend
outline four strategic paths – forks in the road –
to follow:
Maintain course: Depending upon the system
supplied and aftermarket exposure, select
suppliers will witness little change in future
sourcing patterns, value add and development
timelines for future business. Many though not
all interior and exterior systems fit this
classification as an example. Even if your
business has thus far remained outside the
scope of BEV sourcing plans, vehicle
lightweighting and other ongoing technology
trends are still top of mind.
These suppliers are well advised to watch for
storm clouds as their ecosystem can shift
quickly. But for those whose business is IC-
engine dependent, fear not in the short term:
IHS Markit’s recent Vehicles-In-Operation (VIO)
Forecast is confident there will still be ICE-
powered offerings, predominantly hybrids, in the
fleet 30 years from now.
Sell/liquidate: While this path is seemingly
drastic, changes to future system requirements
given electrified propulsion make this a reality
for many. Factors such as global/regional
sourcing, upstream and downstream value-add
shifts, and BEV-fueled cadence changes may
signal to several suppliers that it is time to
divest. Alternatively, those suppliers with
capabilities in multiple system areas may choose
4 May 2021
to focus on a reduced portfolio where their
competitive position, returns, risk or capital
outlay are more favorable.
Given shifts in the relative economies-of-scale
for future global BEV architectures, several
regional suppliers in system areas heavily
impacted by electrified propulsion will need to
establish whether to stay...or go. Additionally, as
OEMs themselves adapt to an EV-centric industry,
suppliers can venture into the systems with high
growth potential, such as electrified drives and
Michael Robinet e-motors. Customers may become competitors.
Executive Director Watch for the traditional tier relationships to blur
IHS Markit in the future.
michael.robinet
@ihsmarkit.com Pivot: We see many suppliers choosing to re-
invent themselves using several avenues. Some
integrate vertically, usually upstream, to ensure
Regional supply continuity, capture enhanced value and,
suppliers in some cases, drive more differentiation. Others
are opting for joint ventures or affiliations, to
in system couple existing capacity with new system
areas heavily requirements, reach new geographies, and to
share development costs.
impacted by Adding electronic content or software
electrified capability to a mechanical system is a key play
that has occurred in steering and braking. Some
propulsion suppliers are developing new products while
will need leveraging their existing processes. Companies
that machine “traditional” powertrain and
to establish driveline components are finding opportunities in
whether to e-motors and drive systems within the BEV world.
stay...or go. Double-down and consolidate: Contrarians will
try to make lemonade from lemons. Faced with
consolidation in their space, they may seek to
take out weaker competitors and consolidate
capacity to drive pricing. Some are betting that
the uptake for BEV offerings will be slower than
forecast. If their bets are accurate, they can
benefit from consolidation for several years.
Supplier strategy has never witnessed the
level of risk vs. reward we see today. Every
situation is different; solutions are not simple.
But we can expect more forks in the road as the
BEV ecosystem develops.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
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TECHNOLOGY
REPORT
ADVANCED PROPULSION
CVT is Bosch’s answer to upgrade EV efficiency
Bosch CVT4EV packaged with traction motor and inverter.
As electric vehicles (EV) move from niche of-
ferings to mainstream products, research and
development to improve all aspects of EV func-
tionality and efficiency is accelerating. Bosch
recently revealed results of an effort to improve
one of the most crucial aspects of EV develop-
ment – traction motor performance – by fusing
electric motors with a transmission technology
familiar to the internal-combustion world: con-
tinuously variable transmission (CVT).
Bosch revealed that coupling a lightly modi-
fied conventional pushbelt CVT it has dubbed
CVT4EV with a typical EV traction motor can
both improve performance and reduce energy
consumption compared with today’s typical
setup of a traction motor integrated with a
single-speed transmission. Fitted to a
C-segment demonstration EV, Bosch said the
CVT4EV improves acceleration and top speed
and reduces torque demand on the traction
motor, making it more efficient in many driv-
ing situations.
Perhaps best of all, the company said using
the CVT4EV could allow an automaker to fit
essentially the same electric powertrain across
a range of vehicle sizes from the C segment to
F-segment large cars and SUVs – and even
G-segment light-commercial vehicles (LCVs).
It also can be used in dual-motor vehicle lay-
outs that power both axles to impart all-wheel
drive (AWD).
6 May 2021
Enhanced ratio coverage
The CVT4EV’s chief advantage is a wider ra-
tio spread than even the 2-speed step trans-
missions available today for some higher-end
EVs. The CVT4EV also offers the ability to
consistently maintain the traction motor’s
speed in a more-efficient range that’s less
tied to road speed or load, said Gert-Jan van
Spijk, transmission director for Bosch
Transmission Technology.
“Fixed-ratio transmissions have to deal with
a compromise between the required wheel
torque to perform with high loads and gradi-
ents, against maximum-speed requirements,”
said van Spijk in an interview with Automotive
Engineering. “At the same time, fixed-ratio
powertrains have to deal with the efficiency of
the electric motor ‘as it is,’ following the load
and speed conditions.”
A 2-speed transmission offers the first stage
of improvement on this, he said, but with a lim-
ited ratio coverage – typically up to 2.0 per step
– and with disruptions in torque and speed, in-
fluencing acceleration, efficiency and comfort.
“If a larger ratio spread is required, typically
more steps have to be added. CVT is a more
logical pairing, as it has the ability to improve
the electric motor’s efficiency while keeping
the ‘fluent’ power characteristic of an electric
machine,” van Spijk asserted.
Due to the wider flexibility of electric mo-
tors, the CVT4EV ratio spread needs only be
between 3-4 to one, he said, as opposed to a
ratio spread of 6 to 8 when coupled with IC
engines. This is one reason that CVT-equipped
EVs will not evince the sometimes harsh and
strained-sounding NVH characteristics that
have brought them criticism in ICE vehicles,
particularly higher-powered premium models,
van Spijk said.
“The flexibility of the electric motor puts dif-
ferent requirements to the control of the CVT,
meaning that shift speed is much lower than in
ICE applications,” he explained. “With this, the
inertia effect of rotating masses is hardly no-
ticeable. It has become one of the bigger ben-
efits of CVT compared to other multi-speed
solutions for EVs.”
Demonstration of a CVT4EV prototype to
Bosch specialists, customers and press resulted
in positive feedback on the driving behavior,
including remarks like “not distinguishable
from single-speed,’’ he added. “Because
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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2020 President
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AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
 TECHNOLOGY REPORT

CVT4EV results in lower torque/speed requirements for the Pushbelt

electric motor, the sound of [the traction motor’s] rpm also is variator of
reduced, improving comfort even more.” the kind used
for Bosch’s
Modeled for optimized performance new CVT4EV
The CVT4EV concept uses “numerous Bosch components” continuously
variable
and was developed by Bosch Transmission Technology BV,
transmission
according to the supplier. Bosch worked with Eindhoven for electric
University of Technology (TU/e) PhD candidate Caiyang Wei vehicles.
on design and optimization of the electric CVT. Wei and
Bosch used an optimization method that considers not only
the control of the car’s speed, energy consumption and heat
production, but also the physical design of the car’s electric
motor and transmission system.
With this method – a combination of machine learning
and a thorough analysis of the measurement data – the re-
searchers said they were able to design a system that is op-
timal in terms of both performance and efficiency, while at
the same time reducing the total costs for both the manu-
facturer and the user.
Important to note about the CVT4EV development is that concepts for ICE, hybrid, and EV applications,” adding, “Full
Bosch does not make transmissions. Rather, it develops and CVT4EV solutions are available through Tier-1 suppliers.”
produces the steel pushbelts at the heart of any CVT. The Bosch’s testing of the CVT4EV in a 150-kW (201-hp)
BOSCH

company stated that it “supports customers with transmission C-segment vehicle showed a 3% reduction in 0-100 km/h

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TECHNOLOGY REPORT

(0-62 mph) acceleration, a 13% drop in 80-120 km/h (50-75 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
mph) acceleration and an 11% increase in top speed.
Meanwhile, an overall efficiency gain of up to 4% is project-
How 3D printing could add
ed for a D-segment vehicle. efficiency to EV power electronics 
The potential for improved efficiency is particularly attrac-
tive for EVs. Even minor overall gains can translate to the po-
tential to fit a smaller, less-expensive battery pack and/or a
smaller traction motor.
“The advantage of reduced energy consumption is valid at
all speeds,” said van Spijk. “Over a reference cycle like WLTP,
this means an overall advantage in the magnitude of 2 per-
cent to 4 percent, depending on vehicle type. At constant-
speed driving, this advantage is even larger since the adapta-
tion to the best [motor] efficiency can be held closer. At
speeds from 40 to 80 km/h, this leads to an advantage in the
magnitude of up to 8 percent,” he explained, depending on
vehicle type.
He said the CVT4EV can handle up to 4,000 Nm (2,950
lb-ft) of wheel torque, which helps make the transmission
viable into the LCV segment. For ICE vehicles, pushbelt CVTs
typically are limited in the amount of engine torque they can
reliably transmit. This has capped their applicability to en-
gines with torque output broadly less than 300 lb-ft (407
Nm). However, van Spijk said the CVT4EV’s reduced ratio
spread required for coupling with a traction motor will allow it
to handle more torque than is capable of CVTs coupled to
combustion engines.
“The maximum torque capacity of CVT4EV is higher than in
ICE applications because, technically, ratio-coverage and
torque capacity are exchangeable parameters. Since ratio
coverage is only about half the value of ICE applications, it Additive manufacturing could bring significant benefits to EV inverter
enables significantly higher torques for EV,” he said. “This design, noted the U.K. university research team. Without it, the single
makes the pushbelt CVT suitable for applications from piece triangular element in the center of the inverter assembly illustrated,
would be challenging to achieve cost-effectively using conventional
C-segment cars to light commercial vehicles.
manufacturing techniques, they state. 
“Often for a C-segment vehicle, a single speed [transmis-
sion] can be sufficient,” he noted. But when the need emerg-
es for towing capacity and improved gradeability; increased “Think production!” Perhaps that advice should be posted on
driving range or smaller battery; higher top speed; lower mo- the wall of every design office, R&D lab and advanced tech-
tor revs; motor downsizing and optimized regeneration, the nology center in the auto industry. Although obeying that
CVT4EV’s value becomes clear, van Spijik asserted. warning is clearly not cost-effective in some instances, others
are ostensibly perfect to take their place in volume manufac-
Counting on cost offsets ture. An example is 3D printing (aka additive manufacturing,
Compared with the single-speed transmission typical for most or AM), but despite a broadening scope that now embraces
current EVs, van Spijk concedes the CVT4EV represents in- rapid prototyping and tooling by entire houses, it could do
creased cost. But using the CVT4EV offers potential for a vari- better in series production of auto components, particularly in
ety of “system” cost savings that can offset the higher com- the new world of EVs. 
ponent cost of the new Bosch transmission concept.  Prof. Peter Wilson of the U.K.’s newly established Institute
“CVT4EV is a more complex system compared to the single- for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (IAAPS) at the
speed systems, but compensation for the add-on cost is found University of Bath, noted the growing adoption of high-
in the reduced torque and speed requirements for the electric speed SiC (silicon carbide) and other wide-band-gap semi-
motor, resulting in the need for less magnet and copper – and conductor devices demonstrates the benefits that 3D printing
UNIVERSITY OF BATH

with that, lower cost,” he asserted.
“Further compensation is in the smaller battery package for
the same range and performance compared to a single-speed
transmission,” van Spijik said.
Bill Visnic
could have in the production of EV inverters. “SiC devices of-
fer so much opportunity to improve inverter performance,”
Wilson said. “But system designers are often unable to take
full advantage of their potential because their ideas cannot be
manufactured using conventional techniques.”  

8 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

 TECHNOLOGY REPORT

 Additive manufacturing “lets us de-

sign in 3D without these constraints and
we see great benefit in applying the
technique to EV inverters,” he contin-
ued. “These have a significant impact
on how hard you can drive other com-
ponents of the EV powertrain, so even a
modest advance can create a virtuous
circle of improvements in efficiency,
packaging and energy density.” 
Overcoming constraints 
To prove this, Wilson is leading a multi-
disciplinary research team that is com-
pleting the first phase of a project that
looks at the potential for 3D printing se-
lect inverter components. This could
allow key constraints to be overcome
– including thermal management, elec-
trical noise and packaging volume.
The aim is to achieve significant design
improvements that can be manufac-
tured in volume. Although it is early
days, the inverter project is looking
promising, he said.  thermal resistance.”  meaning the designer is unable to take
 At present, inverters are typically de-
signed via 2D processes, stacking flat
component boards. At the bottom of the
stack is a thick aluminum cold plate
heat-sink that is typically liquid-cooled.
“The efficiency, reliability and perfor-
mance of SiC switches falls significantly
as temperature rises, so the ability of this
plate to extract heat from the inverter is
critical,” Wilson said. “A conventional
cold plate has machined cooling chan-
nels. But these inhibit the creation of
BOTH IMAGES: UNIVERSITY OF BATH
Bus bar connections (top surface) link directly to the new heat transfer lattice within the cold plate.
intricate shapes and you can’t specify
very thin walls between the channels. As
well as making it less effective, that
means the plate is heavier and bulkier
than you need and introduces additional
 This is where 3D printing comes in.
Oliver Holt, a member of Wilson’s spe-
cialist team, has designed a plate with a
complex lattice internal structure con-
structed of walls less than 1-mm thick.
The more efficient design will allow the
power electronics to carry up to 10%
higher current, making the inverter sig-
nificantly more power-dense. “The
manufacturing solution would be to
3D-print just the complex shapes and
drop them into a conventionally-manu-
factured plate,” Holt said. “We only em-
ploy the more expensive technique
where it allows us to do something that
adds a lot of value.”  There is also an increase in inverter
 The next challenge is packaging,
which is also linked to how quickly
the SiC switches can be instructed to
turn on and off. Electro-Magnetic
Interference (EMI) is created not only
 This is because even such a small
inductance leads to damped-resonant
ringing of the switches as they transi-
tion. The traditional solution is to oper-
ate the switches at a lower speed,
full advantage of the SiC technology.
Holt added that 3D printing “facili-
tates manufacture of the connections
with highly optimized 3D geometries,
which allows the gate drivers to be
moved closer to the switches, improv-
ing packaging as well as reducing the
loop inductance that can limit the
achievable switch performance.” 
 
Simplified cooling 
What all this delivers, Wilson said, is a
reduction in switching losses that trans-
lates to both an increase in converter
efficiency – especially at low loads.
power without upgrading the cooling
system, or a simplified cooling system
for the same power. “It’s a virtuous cir-
cle enabled by additive manufacturing’s
ability to let us design in 3D,” he said.

Oliver Holt’s design points the way to making
the inverter significantly more power dense.
by a high switching frequency, but also Because the new approach eclipses
by the rate of change of voltage (dV/dt) conventional manufacturing constraints,
in the transition from conducting to it delivers “the ability to fully exploit
not-conducting. Detailing the finer proven wideband gap semiconductor
points, Holt explained that EMI “is made devices that will also allow so many
significantly worse when the distance other systems in the EV powertrain to
between switches and the gate drivers, work more efficiently – permitting de-
together with the area of the connec- signers to apply it to production.”
tion, is large.”  Stuart Birch

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING May 2021 9

TECHNOLOGY REPORT
ADVANCED PROPULSION
Jeep engineers a Wrangler EV with manual gearbox 
The Jeep Magneto Concept uses a custom-built axial-flux electric motor that operates up to 6,000
rpm, connected to a 6-speed manual transmission.
For 4x4 enthusiasts who see the
electric-vehicle (EV) future as
the conclusive death-blow to manual
transmissions, there is hope. Jeep
engineers have unveiled the first
battery-electric Wrangler and it’s fitted
with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The
clever prototype powertrain is the
centerpiece of the Wrangler Magneto
concept vehicle, developed to show
that the world’s original 4-wheel-drive
utility vehicle can sustain the transition
to zero-emissions propulsion without
losing any off-road capability.  This gives the axial-flux machine a
 The Magneto’s mission is to prove
it’s in fact got even more mojo in the
dirt, mud and on slickrock than its com-
bustion-engine cousins. Many in the
trail-driving community believe that
quiet electric drivelines will help keep
off-roading alive, and even expand it, as
emissions and noise regulations tighten.   Several companies are developing
 The Magneto concept is based on a
two-door 2020 Wrangler Rubicon. It
uses a custom-built axial-flux electric
machine that operates up to 6,000 rpm.
The e-motor is connected to a six-
speed manual transmission via a clutch
10 May 2021
that operates, according to Jeep, as it
would with an IC engine. In quick-shift
scenarios, when the clutch is en-
gaged the electric machine engages
regen to prevent rev-hang.  ule are housed inside waterproof en-
 Axial-flux motor topology offers ad-
vantages in power density, efficiency,
packaging – and potentially manufac-
turing – over conventional radial-flux
machines. In axial-flux machines, the
magnetic flux direction is parallel to the
machine rotation, which is opposite to
the flux direction in a radial machine.
shorter and more direct flux path
through the airgap. The shorter path
enables a stronger magnetic field, re-
sulting in greater efficiency and power
density. And their shorter axial length
helps reduce the length of the pow-
ertrain, according to experts.  ratio control,” Nydam said. “I think the
axial-flux e-motors with an eye to EV
applications. Jeep engineers have not
revealed the source of the Magneto
concept’s motor, nor have they pro-
vided details on the electric pow-
ertrain’s transmission. Production
This is an interesting
and cool idea that
the hardcore Jeep
enthusiasts will embrace.
Wranglers use Aisin’s D478 6-speed
manual transmission. 
 The Magneto’s 800-V power system
consists of four lithium-ion battery
packs with a combined capacity of 70
kWh. The batteries are distributed
around the Wrangler to balance mass
on the four wheels. One pack replaces
the IC Wrangler’s midship fuel tank.
Another is mounted opposite the fuel
tank location. The third pack is located
on top of the traction motor under the
hood and the fourth pack mounts in the
space normally taken up by the exhaust
muffler. The vehicle’s DC-to-AC inverter
is derived from racecar technology, ac-
cording to Jeep. 
  The Magneto’s batteries, a vehicle
interface box and battery control mod-
closures, to maintain Wrangler’s 30-
inch (762-mm) fording capability. The
packs are protected by skid plates.
 “This is an interesting and cool idea
that the hardcore Jeep enthusiasts will
embrace,” observed Skip Nydam, a
veteran transmission engineer who has
worked at JATCO and GM Hydra-matic.
“Combining a clutched manual gear-
box with the battery and traction mo-
tor gives Wrangler drivers the ‘crawler’
effect they love and allows them to
select gear ratios as they would with
an IC engine. 
 “With this set-up, the driver truly has
Magneto concept opens up many poten-
tial applications for EV drivers who want
to shift gears themselves, including elec-
tric sports cars. I look forward to learn-
ing the details of how they engineered
this.” More to come on this development.
JEEP
Lindsay Brooke
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
 TECHNOLOGY REPORT

ELECTRIFICATION

Mahle Powertrain intensifying e-mobility focus

Mahle’s Powertrain group (MPT) is underway with an
ongoing €12M investment in new testing and development
facilities as part of a forward-looking strategy begun over a
decade ago. The latest infrastructure investment is directed at
improving services offered to its wide OEM clientele,
strengthening the supplier’s e-mobility focus. New facilities
stemming from the outlay include a battery development
center and a second Real Driving Emissions (RDE) install,
both located with MPT headquarters in the U.K.
Based in Northampton, Mahle’s MPT subsidiary has more
than 400 employees specializing in engineering services for
the design/development/integration of advanced internal
combustion engine (ICE) and electrified powertrains. The
group operates eight technical centers in the U.K., Germany,
U.S., China and Brazil. 
   Mahle Powertrain group (MPT) will bring its second test center for
traction batteries online in Northampton, U.K. in Q3 2021.
Battery development center 
MPT will bring online what it’s labeling as “Phase 2” of a test
center for traction batteries in Northampton in the third quar- build and test. “It is not simply battery chemistry that is hold-
ter of 2021. The first phase of MPT’s unit designed to test bat- ing back advancement, but the control systems, cooling and
teries under various climatic conditions went into operation in charging rates, which have already advanced significantly in
2019. The new facility will have a dedicated area for the con- recent years as the industry better understands the technol-
struction of battery modules and three climatic chambers for ogy. This next phase will provide our vehicle manufacturer
testing complete battery packs. The setup is designed to vali- and Tier-1 customers with vital battery technology insight.” 
date, measure and optimize charging and discharging pro-  
cesses under dynamic and steady-state climatic conditions.  New RDE test chamber 
 The new infrastructure will boost MPT’s electrical test capabil- In addition to the battery testing expansion, MPT will open a
ity to a total of 1.25MW across six separate rigs and chambers. second RDE test chamber in Northampton, providing
The test environments can be controlled to replicate real- space under a wide range of climatic conditions, including the
world environments, with temperatures between -40°C and ability to simulate solar loading. The new test chamber will be
80°C (-40°to 176°F), and humidity control between 24 and 93%.  equipped with a four-wheel-drive chassis dyno, a battery em-
 “The elusive goal that has been mooted by the industry is ulator and safety measures to enable testing of hydrogen-
the ‘million-mile’ battery,” said Derek Wise, chief engineer for powered vehicles. The set up will include blast walls and a
domed chamber roof for stray H2 gas collection. 
 The investment was prompted by heavy demand for the cen-
ter’s original RDE facility, which opened in 2018. Mahle research
estimates 73% of passenger cars globally will still make use of an
ICE as part of their propulsion system, and 50% will still employ
ICE by 2040. MPT expects demand for the RDE test chambers to
continue as ICE development refocuses on hybridized units.
“Given that statistic, it therefore made perfect sense to have a
second chamber with a battery emulator suitable for EV devel-
opment,” said David Pates, MPT’s head of engineering. 
The latest MPT developments are part of the company’s on-
going EV strategy, with additional phases planned to roll out in
2022 focusing on battery-development capabilities. The MPT
goal is to address the entire battery-development process,
from pack build, test, simulation and analysis to real-world test-
BOTH IMAGES: MAHLE

ing and strip-down of battery modules. Next year’s expansion

will complement MPT’s recent investments including a new
The latest MPT ePowertrain investments are part of an ongoing strategy powertrain dyno at its Plymouth, Michigan facility and the new
focusing on the entire battery-development process, from build, e-axle test facility in Fellbach, Germany.
simulation and analysis to real-world testing. Paul Seredynski

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING May 2021 11

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READY
After a 30-year hiatus, Jeep remakes the Wagoneer
The 2022 Jeep Wagoneer features aluminum doors/hood and a composite liftgate.
You won’t have a hard time distinguish-
ing the all-new 2022 Jeep Wagoneer
from the old one. Automotive design and
engineering have moved on dramatically
in 30 years, even if the Wagoneer mission
hasn’t: Carry lots of people and lots of
their stuff wherever they want. An easy
way to sum up the three-decade shift is
the old Wagoneer had simulated wood-
grain paneling on the outside. For the
new one, all the wood is on the inside.  transmission.  Wagoneer program. “The key change to
 Judging by the views shared during
its virtual reveal, the interior of the
Wagoneer should be a pleasant place
to spend time. Jeep is touting
Wagoneer interiors as some of the
sweetest in autodom. The interior color
palettes are spot on and the word
‘sumptuous’ easily comes to mind. 
 Of course, all of this is by de-
sign. Lacking a dedicated luxury
brand within the Stellantis U.S. portfo-
lio, Jeep is looking upmarket by posi-
tioning Wagoneers upscale, almost as a
separate brand within a brand. A vetted
dealer network and unique customer
treatment will help differentiate the
most luxurious off-roaders ever offered
by the 4x4 marque. 
One vehicle, two trims 
The all-new, 3-row, 7- or 8-passenger,
5-door Jeep SUV will be available
12 May 2021
in one wheelbase in two trims:
Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. The
Wagoneer will arrive with RWD but
can be optioned with one of three
AWD systems. Power comes from the
eTorque mild-hybrid version of the
5.7-L V8. The Grand Wagoneer trim is
AWD only and powered by a 6.4-L V8.
All Wagoneers will engage the same
ZF-designed 8-speed automatic
 According to Jeep, the Wagoneer’s
body-on-frame platform is “essentially
all-new,” though it likely shares some
provenance with the Ram 1500 plat-
While the original Grand Wagoneer famously featured extensive use of faux wood on its exterior,
the new Grand Wagoneer only features American Walnut wood in the interior.
form, and it will be built alongside the
previous-gen Ram Classic pickup at the
Stellantis plant in Warren, Mich. The
Wagoneer is launching with a single
wheelbase/length (123/215 in.;3124/5461
mm), joining profit-heavy GM and Ford
products in the large body-on-frame
SUV segment unique to North America. 
 The Wagoneer slots between
the wheelbase/length of the regular
and long wheelbase Cadillac Escalade/
Escalade ESV (121/212 in.; 3073/5385
mm\134/227 in.; 3404/5766 mm) and 
Ford Expedition/Expedition MAX
(122.5/210 in.; 3112/5334 mm\136/222 in.;
3454/5639 mm). The boxy Wagoneer 
is claiming best-in-class overall passenger
volume (179 ft2), cargo volume behind the
third row and third-row head and leg
room compared to its shorter-wheelbase
competition. Jeep also is claiming best-
in-class towing of up to 10,000 lb
(4,536 kg), a key metric in the segment. 
 “What goes on behind the vehicle is
actually what defines the limits of the
towing. The driving dynamics of the
vehicle, which is defined by a co-effi-
cient of sway, is really what limits the
capability of the vehicle,” explained
Mike Uhlmeyer, chief engineer for the
the frame is that the Class-4 hitch is
fully integrated into the frame. It goes
through the box frame rails and it has
four 360-degree welds.” 
ALL IMAGES: JEEP
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
 ROAD READY

Multiple drivetrain options 
The 2022 Wagoneer is the first Stellantis vehicle to feature the
next-generation eTorque mild-hybrid system on the 5.7-L
V8 (SAE-certified 392 hp/404 lb-ft; 292 kW/548 Nm). The
setup replaces the alternator with a belt-driven motor-gener-
ator unit (MGU), which is fed by a briefcase-sized 0.39
kWh, 48-volt, 12-cell, nickel-manganese-cobalt graphite bat-
tery pack mounted to the Wagoneer’s cabin floor. The system
is capable of boosting crankshaft torque by 130 lb-ft (176
Nm). It also enables braking regeneration and smooths engine
stop/start events. The standard Grand Wagoneer engine is the
6.4-L V8 (471 hp/455 lb-ft; 351 kW/617 Nm) fitted with cylin-
der deactivation and variable camshaft timing. 
 There are three available 4x4 systems. Quadra-Trac I fea-
tures a single-speed transfer case with a 40/60% F/R torque
split. Quadra-Trac II uses a two-speed case and can route 100%
of available torque to the wheel with the most traction.
Quadra-Drive II adds an electronic limited-slip rear differential.
The vehicle features a 48:1 low-range crawl ratio. 
 
Coil or air chassis 
The Wagoneer’s chassis is composed of a high-strength steel
frame with steel body panels excepting the hood/doors (alu-
minum) and liftgate (composite). The frame’s side rails are The 2022 Wagoneer chassis is composed of a high-strength steel
frame with fully boxed side rails and double-sheer-welded frame cross
fully boxed and frame crossmembers are double sheer welded
members. The upper front control arms are composite.
to the inside and outside of the frame for improved stiff-
ness. “We have a unique and clever design in the rear of the
frame where you notice very planar, straight frame rails,” Wagoneer and standard on Grand Wagoneer is a Quadra-Lift
Uhlmeyer noted. “This allowed us to achieve some important air-suspension system that includes electronically controlled
best-in-class vehicle occupant-package numbers, improve semi-active dampers. 
enter/egress and provide a flat load floor.”   The new Wagoneer features standard 20-inch or optional
 The Wagoneer features a fully independent suspension. A 22-inch rims. Jeep is claiming a 25° approach angle, 24° depar-
new front double-wishbone setup uses composite-upper ture angle, 22° breakover angle, and up to 24 in. (61 cm) of wa-
and aluminum-lower control arms. Rear suspension is a coil- ter-fording capability. An available all-terrain option fea-
sprung multi-link. The standard Wagoneer suspension features tures steel skid plates to protect the front axle, transfer case,
coil-over shocks with rear load-leveling capability. Optional on fuel tank and rear stabilizer bushing. Mopar plans to offer more
than 75 factory-engineered parts and accessories for the
Wagoneer lineup. 
 
New e-architecture 
The 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer feature a new elec-
trical architecture that enables secure CAN (Controller Area
Network) communications. It permits enhanced driver-assist
features including night vision with pedestrian/animal detec-
tion, intersection collision assist, drowsy-driver detection, traf-
fic-sign recognition and a ParkSense automated parking sys-
tem. An SAE Level-2 assisted-driving feature (“Hands-free
Active Driving Assist”) will become available in “late 2021.” 
 The Wagoneer’s interior features a bevy of screens, with
Jeep claiming 75-in. (191 cm) of total display width across sev-
en panels, 45 in. (114 cm) of that available up front. An avail-
able full-color head-up display (HUD) can cue visuals for
lane departure, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise, turn-by-turn
The rear frame rails of the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer permitted the navigation, current speed, current gear and speed limit.
engineering team to meet interior space and enter/egress targets. Paul Seredynski

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING May 2021 13

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Alliance platform elevates 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander 

S-AWC models employ electronically controlled

4WD with a hydraulic clutch driven by an electric
motor in the center coupling, replacing a ball-
cam-type clutch.

 Rated at 181 hp (135 kW) and 181

lb-ft (245 Nm), the long-stroke (89 x
100mm) unit, coded PR25DD by both
OEMs, has a 12:1 compression ratio and
The 2022 Outlander offers 18-in. or 20-in. wheels. Its unique ‘face’ features thin LED daytime
is mated to an 8-speed CVT. The
running lights and integrated turn signals above large oval LED headlamps. 
JATCO-engineered transmission has six
driving modes (for 4WD models) to
Ten years is an eternity in terms of au- greater rigidity in its front structure, suit a wide variety of road conditions
tomotive product cycles, especially in a compared with the outgoing Outlander. and vehicle dynamic states. The CVT is
segment as hot and crowded as C/D With the aim to improve impact perfor- calibrated to deliver “gearchange” sen-
sport utility. For Mitsubishi Motors mance and vehicle dynamics, high- sations that convincingly replicate
North America (MMNA), waiting for an strength steel alloy content was expand- those of many silky-shifting planetary
all-new Outlander to replace the incum- ed throughout the body-in-white. Grover automatics. While the unboosted pow-
bent model launched in 2012 must have noted that CAE analyses focused on ertrain delivers adequate thrust, it
been a supreme test of perseverance. strengthening the elements affected by forces the driver to push deep into the
But an all-new Outlander has finally cyclic load that connects the front shock throttle pedal to achieve it. U.S. fuel
arrived, one of the first fruits of the re- towers, rails and cowl, as well as those in economy is rated 24/31/27 (city/high-
invigorated Renault-Nissan Alliance in the rear tying together the C- and way/combined mpg) for 2WD and
which Mitsubishi now is a partner.  D-pillars, rear floor and roof.  24/30/26 for AWD models. 
 The 5-door/three-row SUV shares its  As is typical of most vehicle pro-  Mitsubishi’s sophisticated Super-All
basic architecture, 106.5-in. (2,705-mm) grams, engineers battled the mass- Wheel Control (S-AWC) system is a
wheelbase, powertrain and some chas- creep tradeoffs that come from greater $1,800 option on all 2022 Outlander
sis components with the Nissan Rogue/ feature content and occupant safety. trim levels. S-AWC, which includes
X-Trail, saving millions in development Switching to an aluminum hood and yaw-rate feedback, is capable of regu-
time and cost while expanding manu- composite front fenders for the new lating torque and braking force at each
facturing scale. Equally important, Outlander saves 13.2 lb (5.9 kg) and 4 lb wheel. The system is controlled by two
Mitsubishi designers and engineers (1.8 kg), respectively, versus steel. Still, ECUs (from Mitsubishi Electric and
BOTH IMAGES: MITSUBISHI MOTORS

have successfully differentiated their curb weight of the base 2wd model is Continental, according to supplier
new flagship with a unique exterior 3,593 lb (1,630 kg), compared with sources) communicating through a
style and elevated levels of interior re- 3,329 lb (1,510 kg) of the 2020 CAN bus. Outlander’s three chassis
finement and ride comfort.  Outlander. Propelling that mass – 3,803 sensors – monitoring yaw rate, lateral
  The “Alliance platform,” as MMNA’s lb. (1,727 kg) of it in a fully-optioned and longitudinal acceleration – are
director of product planning Cason AWD model – is Nissan’s 2.5-L natural- packaged in a single module near the
Grover calls it, achieves a 33% improve- ly-aspirated 4-cylinder gasoline engine vehicle’s center of gravity.
ment in overall torsional rigidity and 26% also used in Rogue and Altima.  Lindsay Brooke

14 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

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Cadillac to launch 2023 Lyriq EV months earlier than planned 

 Brewer said the 2023 Lyriq will achieve class-leading home
AC charging that delivers 52 miles (84 km) of driving range per
hour from its onboard 240-volt Level 2 charger operating at 19.2
kW. That charging rate does require installation of a special 9.2-
kW home charging station with 100-amp service. At DC fast-
charging facilities, Lyriq can recharge at up to 76 miles in 10 min-
utes and 195 miles (314 km) in 30 minutes. 
 
Rear-drive – for now 
Cadillac also indicated that at launch, the Lyriq propulsion lay-
out is rear-wheel drive with a single traction motor for the rear
axle. The permanent-magnet (PM) motor is rated at 340 hp
and 325 lb-ft (440 Nm). Brewer added that “a performance
all-wheel-drive variant will be available down the road.” 
 The Lyriq’s wheelbase is 121.8 in. (3094 mm, and overall length
Cadillac describes the 2023 Lyriq as an SUV, although its roof is some 14
is 196.7 in (4996 mm), making it slightly longer between axles
inches lower than Cadillac’s Escalade flagship. 
than the current standard-wheelbase Escalade (120.9 in/3071
mm), although the Lyriq is nearly 15 in (381 mm) shorter overall.
Citing advances in its vehicle-development processes and Underscoring the Lyriq’s decidedly less trucky profile, however, is
tireless work from a global engineering team during the its 62.9 in (1598 mm) height, compared to the Escalade’s 76.6-in
COVID-19 pandemic, executives and engineers for General (1948-mm) height.
Motors’ Cadillac premium-vehicle brand said the brand’s first AE Averna Digital Ad 0521.qxp_1/4 Page 4/13/21 12:23 PM Page 1 Bill Visnic
electric vehicle (EV), the 2023 Lyriq, will be available to cus-
tomers in the first half of next year – months ahead of earlier
projections. The company also confirmed the Lyriq’s base
price will be $59,990. 
 Lyriq chief engineer Jamie Brewer said in a virtual meeting
with reporters that the Lyriq – Cadillac describes the vehicle
as an SUV, although it has a low roofline and more car-like
profile – will begin production late in the first quarter of 2022.
Cadillac added in a release that “initial availability” to custom-
ers will start in the first half of 2021.
 The Lyriq’s production timeline is considerably advanced,
said Brewer, thanks to GM’s extensive use of virtual-develop-
ment tools. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) sped criti-
cal engineering of thermal-management systems, and other
digital tools accelerated ride-and-handling testing and man-
ufacturing processes at the retooled Spring Hill, Tenn. as-
sembly plant where the EV will be built.  “The overall ‘feel’ of
the vehicle is right where we wanted it,” Brewer said, adding
it to be “very gratifying at this point in the program.” 
 
Ultium battery gives solid range 
The company reinforced its earlier projections for the Lyriq’s
driving range, saying internal testing demonstrated a maximum
range of 300-plus miles (483 km). Cadillac also specified the
capacity of the Ultium lithium-ion battery pack for the Lyriq is
100 kWh from a 12-module configuration. The cell chemistry uses
nickel-cobalt-manganese-aluminum (NACM) cathodes and
blended graphite anodes. GM recently confirmed it is investing
$2.3 billion to build an all-new Ultium battery cell manufactur-
CADILLAC

ing facility at Spring Hill. Ultium Cells LLC, is the joint venture

between GM and LG Energy Solution. 

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING Free Info at http://info.hotims.com/79441-704 15

 Software
transforms
vehicle
development
Software-defined
vehicles are driving
major changes
in hardware
and control
architectures.
by Terry Costlow
S
oftware, already a major factor in vehicle operation, is driving
major changes in design processes as its role continues to ex-
pand. Electronic architectures and software development strat-
egies are changing rapidly as software transforms into a domi-
nant vehicle technology.
Software has grown from a few million lines of code to more than
100 million in many vehicles. Some projections predict typical ve-
hicles will have 300 to 500 million lines of code within a few years.
These changes, as well as the increase in the amount of data gener-
ated by vehicular systems, are occurring at breakneck speed.
“It’s predicted that within the next couple of years, vehicle func-
tions controlled by software will have increased from 10 percent to
40 percent in a span of one decade,” said Tamara Snow, head of
research and advanced engineering, Continental North America.
“And it’s not only the software that’s increasing. The volumes of
data generated require high-performance computing in order to
process and interpret information coming from connected sensors,
roadways and the cloud.”
Many factors support the creation of what many are calling the
“software-defined car.” Software is a critical element in autonomous
driving. Suppliers note that software makes it possible to alter vehicle
features over the full lifetime of the vehicle, transforming the way
features are created and marketed.
“Software-defined cars bring an end to static life cycles,” said Dirk
Walliser, executive VP corporate R&D, Innovation and Technology, at
ZF. “Carmakers can add things that nobody thought about when the
vehicle was designed.”
16 May 2021
Software-defined cars are
altering design processes
at Tier 1s and OEMs.
The electronic architectures that make it possible to
create and manage hundreds of millions of lines of
software are changing swiftly. Burgeoning engineering
and programming operations are rapidly adding man-
power as managers transform operations and strate-
gies. Software teams are looking at new ways to write
and deploy programs, with a focus on simplifying the
adoption of third-party applications.
On the hardware side, engineers must devise plans
that make it possible to process code that may be
written and deployed years after the hardware designs
are finalized. Flexibility, scalability and compatibility
are critical factors as strategists find ways to get the
most from hardware and software developments.
“What’s required is to have a centralized computing
element. Software can give the hardware the personal-
ity you want to give it,” said Nakul Duggal, head of
automotive products at Qualcomm. “We designed our
next generation hardware to be agnostic.”
Open to change
Creating the applications that give product lines and
individual models their personality and functionality
will require a lot of software creation and manage-
ment. Automated code generation and software reuse
have become commonplace, giving engineering staffs
ZF
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

code that can be upgraded and altered easily com-
pared to most legacy software.
Open-source software is among the technologies
and tools that are seeing more use. Automotive qual-
ity and reliability levels are being achieved with
Adaptive AUTOSAR and Linux, which enable the port-
ing, integration and use of application software from
third parties. Leveraging modules from automotive
industry open-source libraries can dramatically reduce
development time.
“We see a trend of OEMs and Tier 1s beginning to
undertake software development on Linux and later
merge to more embedded and traditional automotive
operating systems,” said Daniel Weyl, VP automotive
software at NXP. “This helps to save cost and have a
better time to market. What we might also see is that
even very automotive-centric software stacks will be
published and maintained in open-source manner in
the future.”
Apple and Google, along with their third-party
software partners, are also touting their automotive
capabilities. Regardless of what platforms program-
mers use to create apps, the software needs to be
tied to each OEM’s proprietary operating layers.
Typically, that’s handled by middleware, which pro-
vides common interfaces so programmers don’t have
to write code variations for each OEM. ZF recently
made middleware the core of its software platform
NXP
(https://www.sae.org/news/2020/12/zf-middleware),
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
COVER STORY
Linux is among the technologies being used to
meet the unending demand for more software.
serving as the mediator and interaction layer for applications that
connect to middleware using standard interfaces.
Ecosystems are another avenue for software development. They
provide ways for experts in many areas to work together to create
holistic software for use in a range of vehicle models. When the many
issues associated with software design are combined with the chal-
lenges of managing global design teams, software management be-
comes an important aspect of vehicle development.
“To manage such complexity, a high degree of collaboration be-
tween the customer, Continental and all third parties is needed,”
Snow said. She noted that Continental created the Cooperation
Portal to improve efficiency and effectiveness of software integra-
tion. Logged-in users access encrypted manuals and software librar-
ies so they are constantly up to date on project activity. “Time is
saved as software can be pre-validated and pre-integrated by vehicle
manufacturers and third-party software suppliers,” Snow noted.
Staying up to date
When software is the basis of a vehicle’s features and functions, auto-
makers can add new features and functions well after new vehicles leave
dealerships. Artificial intelligence (AI) systems can alter operations over
time, and conventional programs can be updated to add capabilities.
Over-the-air (OTA) updating is an important offering for both. AI
algorithms are changing rapidly, and changes created by AI tools will
need to be checked before they are widely deployed. Traditional soft-
ware updating will mimic cell phones. Infotainment platforms, which
need to keep pace with evolving consumer tastes, are likely to be the
first domain to implement the technology.
May 2021 17
Software transforms
vehicle development
There’s a pretty high likelihood that the hardware in a car at the start
of production will not be the same as in vehicles later in production.
“Product life cycles in the cockpit are different than those in
powertrains,” said Matt Cole, senior VP, product development, at
Visteon. “In cockpits, there are more functions that need over-the-air
updating. By 2025, 35% of our domain controllers will have OTA.”
OTA implementations are expanding rapidly. On the commercial-
vehicle side, Volvo Trucks recently expanded its remote programming
service to include what it calls “unlimited parameter updates.” Smaller
vehicles are also moving updates into the mainstream. Ford’s electric
Mustang Mach-E and its new F-150 pickup both offer OTA, with the
company claiming it can extend vehicle lifetimes while improving
features. GM plans to provide OTA updating on most vehicles by 2023.
Market analyst Technavio predicts OTA-equipped vehicle shipments
will exceed 90 million during the next three years.
AI will come into play from both sides of the OTA platform. When deep-
learning tools learn while vehicles are being driven, systems will generally
report back to OEMs. Programmers in labs will also use AI
tools in the development of software that will be
downloaded to vehicles over their lifetimes. That’s going to
push computing requirements far higher. Many systems will
address these requirements with a combination of CPUs,
graphical processing units and neural network processors.
“There absolutely has to be some ability to learn,
there has to be some kind of AI,” Visteon’s Cole said.
“CPUs will need at least 100 GFLOPs, neural proces-
sors will need five to 10, tops.”
Run faster
Creating scalable designs for the hardware that runs
these programs will be a big factor in the rollout of

Communications provide foundation for autonomy

When myriad sensors and powerful proces-
sors are sharing data that must be transmit-
ted and analyzed in milliseconds, networks
are a critical part of the architecture. Ethernet
is now a critical vehicle networking technol-
ogy, though legacy CAN and other architec-
tures continue to play important roles.
Ethernet is fairly new in vehicle communi-
cations, but its high performance and low
cost make it attractive for carmakers.
Researchers at MarketsandMarkets expect
Ethernet to grow at 20%, rising from $1.8
billion last year to $5.6 billion by 2026.
Some vehicle electronic systems are in-
creasingly resembling personal computer
architectures. PCI Express (PCIe), a local serial
communications standard common in PCs,
augments Ethernet in some vehicle systems.
“When we then talk about the data in the
central computer, we see the zones connect-
ed over Ethernet links to an aggregation
switch,” said Daniel Weyl, VP automotive
software, at NXP. “As the aggregated
bandwidth is easily exceeding the available
Ethernet uplink speeds, more and more
switches are offering a PCIe network inter-
face card uplink.”
Many vehicles will employ zones, in
which different subsystems share data with
other zones and central computers. Zones
and domains will typically communicate
with everything in their segment using a
Ethernet and PCIe will let systems communicate
at high data rates.
LIN and FlexRay.
Ethernet links will connect zones with
powerful central controllers as well as with
with the huge volumes of data needed to
provide higher levels of autonomy, shifts the
spotlight to wiring harnesses. Ethernet helps
reduce the bulk of wiring harnesses.
“To achieve a reduction in the cabling
complexity, we must consider the whole ve-
hicle electronic/electrical architecture and
the introduction of zone controllers for the
connection of sensors and actuators,” said
Tamara Snow, head of research and advanced
engineering, Continental North America.
“Software-defined functions require re-
partitioning of functionalities and dynamic
allocation of resources. This results in a
significant reduction of wire harnesses.”
All the available communications options
give automakers many paths to connect
sensors, actuators and controllers. Getting
data to the central controller so sensor inputs
can be fused and analyzed requires
significant changes in both hardware and
software. OEMs have differing strategies.
“There are a lot of different approaches
from the various OEMs on how to go to zonal
architectures, but they all intend to use
Ethernet as the main backbone technology
to move the data from the zones to the
center,” NXP’s Weyl said. “Therefore, you
need high-speed communication via PCIe or
Ethernet. But from the software side, you
also need to have middleware abstracting
this interaction with ease of use.”
NXP

range of legacy interfaces including CAN, other zones. This data sharing, combined Terry Costlow

18 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

 COVER STORY

Reducing cabling complexity is a critical issue for

meeting emissions, safety, performance and cost requirements.

upgradable software. Processors and communication

systems will need to be able to perform upgraded tasks
without compromising existing functions. Initially, hard-
ware engineers will meet the needs of expanded soft-
ware services by designing in plenty of overhead.
“Systems need margins of 30 percent, maybe even
50 percent,” said Stefan Buerkle, global customer lead
at Bosch. “Expectations are that vehicles will have
longer life cycles, maybe 10 to 15 years. Hardware
needs to be equipped to support that. We need to
think about upgrades in the field.”
But when upgrades become more common over
long vehicle lifetimes, it may be more efficient to up-
grade hardware in the field. Automotive engineers
are looking for ways to make field upgrades part of
the planning requirement for vehicle systems. Many
Faster hardware will be
military programs allow field upgrades, but military
critical as software size explodes.
techniques are generally far too costly for civilian
passenger vehicles.
“The industry needs to start planning for hardware send data to a centralized module that will make decisions based on
upgradability,” said Stefan Butz, engineering all available information.
information VP at BMW. “We need to account for not Reducing the number of modules will make it simpler to upgrade
FROM TOP: YAZAKI; CONTINENTAL

only the cost of hardware, but also consider how easily
it can be exchanged. There’s a pretty high likelihood
that the hardware in a car at the start of production
will not be the same as in vehicles later in production.”
Upgrades could become easier as the industry shifts
to more centralized architectures. Some OEMs are cre-
ating zones that combine related systems together.
These zones share data with each other, but they also
hardware to meet changing demands. The ultimate goal of some
strategies is to have a single control module linked to an array of sen-
sors. Upgrading that module will be expensive, but it will be easier
than attempting to upgrade today’s distributed systems.
“Cars today have 80 to 90 CPUs; our ultimate vision is to have
only one CPU,” Bosch’s Buerkle said. “OEMs are taking different
paths and different approaches for this consolidation, so we need
to stay flexible.”

AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING May 2021 19


Permanent-magnet
synchronous motor
stators in production at
General Motors’ Pontiac facility.
Observing the magnetic field distribution, electromagnetic torque, and iron loss
distribution allows engineers to optimize specific performance with minimal
weight and material costs.
I
n the auto industry’s shift toward electric vehicles (EV), permanent
magnet motors (PMMs) are increasingly serving a variety of roles,
including the vehicle’s traction motor and various subsystems. PMMs
offer many advantages compared to brushed DC or induction ma-
chines, including a higher power density and torque-to-weight ratio.
They are more durable, as they do not make use of brushes. There is a
pre-excitation by permanent magnets, which results in a higher efficien-
cy. And because they are electronically controlled, PMMs offer fast re-
sponse. They’re key to the impressive acceleration rates – as swift as
0-60 mph in less than two seconds – being achieved by some EVs.
Simulation is a critical tool for e-machine design and analysis. In
this article, we discuss a model of a PMM with 12 slots and 10 poles,
analyzed using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The machine model
has an 80-mm (3.15-in) axial length and 35-mm (1.37-in.) outer diam-
eter. The model featured here can be used to study motors or gen-
erators by modifying the conditions for the inputs.
Model setup
The schematic of the PMM shows the essential elements of the ma-
chine. From the modeling and simulation perspective, there are four
20 May 2021
Model-
based
analysis
of e-motor
designs
by Dr. Rahul Bhat
main constituents: the stator iron, rotor iron, rotor per-
manent magnets, and the stator coils. The stator exci-
tation usually consists of three phases: A, B, and C.
The excitation pattern shown in the schematic is just
one of the ways in which a 12-slot, 10-pole machine
can be excited.
The arrowhead notation has been used to depict the
direction of current in the stator coils. The arrowhead
(dot) implies current flowing out of the paper, while
the arrow tail (cross) implies current flow into the
plane of the paper.
Stator excitation
The PMM rotates by synchronizing the stator excita-
tion with the rotor position, considering the field pro-
duced by the rotor permanent magnets. The interac-
tion between the fields of the stator teeth and the
rotor magnets generates the net unidirectional torque,
which causes a synchronous rotation. As the rotor
speeds up, the excitation frequency of the stator is
GM
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

also increased coherently with rotor motion. In con-
trast, for asynchronous machines such as induction
motors, stator windings produce a rotating magnetic
field, which induces currents in the rotor. These cur-
rents interact with the stator field, producing a
torque, which is a function of lag between the rotat-
ing stator field and the motion of the rotor.
It will be useful to understand how the stator coils
are excited to produce rotor motion. Imagine a case
where a rotor magnet is aligned with a particular sta-
tor tooth. In simple terms, the magnetic field of a sta-
tor tooth has to be such that it repels the rotor mag-
net away, causing a tangential push. A tangential force
is what constitutes a torque for producing rotation.
The magnitude of the stator field should be highest
when there is a maximum alignment between the sta-
tor tooth and rotor magnet for producing the highest
value of force.
The rotor magnets are arranged with alternating
polarity (north and south poles) along the rotor pe-
riphery. Therefore, when the rotor magnet moves
ahead and the next rotor magnet follows, the stator
field has to flip to produce a repulsive push again,
along the same tangential direction. This ensures that
the torque is unidirectional and the rotor continues
rotating in the same direction.
BOTH IMAGES: COMSOL
Magnetic field distribution
In designing electrical machines, the magnetic field
distribution along the air gap periphery is a very cru-
cial factor. Also referred to as the air gap magneto-
motive force (MMF) wave, it is basically the plot of the
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
ELECTRIFICATION | SIMULATION FEATURE
PMM magnetic flux density distribution (shown at left) and air-gap MFF wave.
radial component of the magnetic field along the circumference of
the air gap. The voltages induced in the stator coils directly depend
on the shape of the MMF wave. If the wave has a sinusoidal shape,
the stator phase will have a pure sinusoidal voltage. If there is a non-
sinusoidal MMF wave, higher-order harmonics will be present in the
induced stator voltages. For a generator, the presence of harmonics
will result in poor power quality supplied to the power system, while
for a motor any higher-order harmonics imply wasted power and
therefore reduced efficiency.
From the COMSOL simulation of the PMM, we obtain the magnetic
field distribution and the air gap MMF wave. Simply by inspecting the
MMF wave in this case, we know that there will not be a purely sinu-
soidal voltage induced in the stator phase.
Investigating electromagnetic torque
A closer look at the model, in terms of generating maximum elec-
tromagnetic torque, shows many approaches we can use for excit-
ing stator windings in a PMM with a specific slot/pole configura-
tion. The pattern in the motor’s schematic details one way that we
can drive a 12-slot, 10-pole PM motor. By adjusting either the initial
rotor position or phase of the stator coil excitation, we can apply
the maximum torque to the rotor. We give the rotor an initial angu-
lar displacement and vary the angle over an angular span of a rotor
magnet. We can then calculate the average torque value over the
entire range.
We choose the initial angular displacement corresponding to the
maximum average torque as the rotor’s initial position. Therefore,
it is easy to visualize the relative positions of the stator and rotor
that produce the maximum torque. This study illustrates the use of
parametric sweep in COMSOL Multiphysics to vary the motor’s de-
sign parameters and analyze their effects on the motor perfor-
mance with ease.
May 2021 21
Model-based analysis
of e-motor designs
Schematic of the permanent-magnet machine.
Magnetic field distribution for iron thicknesses of (from left) 1mm, 2mm and 3mm.
Surface plots of the magnetic flux density for the three thickness values can be
used to inspect the iron utilization and correlate them with the corresponding
torque waveforms.
In the plot of the average torque curve, we can observe two maxi-
ma: The initial angular position corresponding to the positive maxi-
mum will result in counter-clockwise rotation (with proper stator coil
excitation sequence), and the initial angular position corresponding
to the negative maximum will cause a clockwise rotation (with cor-
responding stator coil excitation sequence).
22 May 2021
Average rotor torque variation with initial rotor angle over the
angular span of two rotor poles.
Assessing iron usage and losses
By observing a surface plot of magnetic flux density,
we can gain a lot of insight into the performance of
the machine. The color legend in the three magnetic
field plots above indicate the magnetic flux density
values. If we see a large difference of color in different
portions of the yoke, it indicates that the yoke thick-
ness may be reduced to even out the flux distribution
in the yoke. This will result in better utilization of the
iron for setting up the magnetic flux. If some portion
of the yoke forms a bottleneck for the magnetic flux, it
could cause the magnetic flux density value to move
into the non-linear region of the hysteresis curve.
Sometimes, a specific part of the yoke will consis-
tently show a weak field, which implies that, for
torque production, it is underutilized. If a consistent
bottleneck forms at a certain part, we should prob-
ably widen it. If hotspots (tiny areas with large color
difference compared to the surroundings) are ob-
served in any region of the yoke, they indicate re-
ALL IMAGES: COMSOL
gions of a very high local magnetic flux density. Over
time, these hotspots will cause local overheating,
thermal expansion, and persistent localized mechani-
cal stresses – all will considerably reduce the func-
tional life of the machine. These may be mitigated by
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
 ELECTRIFICATION | SIMULATION FEATURE

Simulation is a critical tool for e-machine design and analysis.

Iron loss distribution with (from left) 1-mm-, 2-mm-, and 3-mm-thick iron.

widening the yoke or perhaps introducing rounds or
fillets at sharp corners.
In this example, we vary the thicknesses of the rotor
and stator iron and examine its influence on rotor torque.
From the average torque curve shown in the previous
section, the initial rotor angle of 20° corresponding to
the positive maximum is chosen for this study. The graph
given (left) shows the torque waveforms for different
iron thickness values. The surface plots of the magnetic
flux density for the three thickness values can be used to
inspect the iron utilization and correlate them with the
corresponding torque waveforms. It can be inferred from
the plots that optimal iron utilization occurs when the
iron thickness is 2 mm (.07 in.). When the thickness is
less than 2 mm, torque reduces. If the thickness is more
than 2 mm, the extra material adds unnecessary weight,
and adds to the cost of the motor, while still generating
the same torque value.
That is not the complete picture, however. While determining iron
thickness, factors including mechanical strength and electromag-
netic losses also play an important role. We can also evaluate the
effect of varied iron thickness on iron losses (above), while analyz-
ing the flux density and EM torque. COMSOL Multiphysics has a
Loss Calculation feature that can be used to easily compute copper
losses and iron losses via the Steinmetz equation, the Bertotti for-
mulation, and a loss model defined by the software user.
Probing the air gap MMF wave in a PMM-type electric machine
helps gauge the impact on generator power quality or motor effi-
ciency. Motor torque can be maximized with respect to machine
parameters using the Parametric Sweep feature in COMSOL
Multiphysics. A multipronged analysis of the motor by observing
the magnetic field distribution, electromagnetic torque, and iron
loss distribution allows engineers to optimize performance with
minimal weight and material costs.
Dr. Rahul Bhat is an applications engineer with COMSOL.

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NVH simulation meets REALISM
VI-grade’s Desktop NVH and Static NVH simulators feature
full wheel-and-pedal “controls” to replicate the driver-to-
vehicle interface, as the tool user builds up the model.
New toolsets help reduce development time and bring sound and vibration data
into the real world.
V
ehicle development is amidst three concurrent revolutions
– electrification, autonomy and the shift in product design
and engineering to more up-front simulation. And in all of
those, attenuating and shaping NVH (noise, vibration, and
harshness) is a key focus for engineers.
NVH issues traditionally have been related to reliability and quality.
With electric and connected vehicles, however, noise-and-vibration con-
trol plays an increasing role in enhancing the entire vehicle experience.
Much of the noise from an ICE powertrain is lower-frequency boom and
rumble below 200 Hz, experts note. Electric motors and EV final-drive
gearing noise is generally at higher (1000 Hz and above) frequencies. And
there’s always the question of how much acoustic feedback is desirable.
But development teams face a hurdle: Clear NVH indications often
are available only when the first physical prototypes are available.
This reduces the window for improvements that don’t significantly
impact deadlines and costs.
“All the automakers are trying to do more up-front design, reduce
the number of prototypes and shorten time to market,” noted Dave
Bogema, director of NVH Solutions at VI-grade, a provider of soft-
ware products, services, and professional driving simulators for use in
system-level simulation. “Engineers at many of our customers are
having their physical prototypes taken away,” he said. “That’s where
NVH simulators, and virtual NVH prototypes that are easy to build,
come into play.”
VI-grade’s tools create an interactive, full-spectrum driver-in-the-
loop simulation of a specific vehicle’s NVH signature. They “bring
24 May 2021
by Lindsay Brooke
sound and vibration data into the real world, so it can
be experienced by real people,” Bogema, a 25-year
NVH and simulation veteran, said. “We translate the rich
data content from computer models, from CAE and
CFD analyses, and from different test measurements,
and integrate it into a simulation that engineers can
hear and feel. During a vehicle sign-off, the chief engi-
neer wants to drive and experience the vehicle – he or
she doesn’t want to just be told why 3 dB is better.”
Holistic NVH engineering
The company’s recently introduced 2021.0 NVH
Simulator incorporates new features and capabilities
aimed at easier use. The standard application is a
desktop workstation; Bogema said many customers
use it “almost as a CAE tool,” that can be scaled up.
“We’ve got static simulators that resemble a vehicle
buck; these give a very immersive environment to sit in,
with a big screen. It also can be combined with VI-
grade’s full-motion simulators, to integrate the NVH char-
ALL IMAGES: VI-GRADE
acteristics in with the vehicle dynamics,” he explained.
The desktop and full-motion simulators feature full
wheel-and-pedal “controls” to replicate the driver-to-
vehicle interface, as the tool user builds up the model.
High-fidelity vehicle sound is played through
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

VI-grade’s
Dave Bogema
says multi-
attribute
simulation is
the future.
headphones or speakers. Calibrated, accurate, indepen-
dent multiple-degrees-of-freedom vibration is applied at
all driver touchpoints, allowing the driver/engineer to
experience the sound and vibration of a vehicle through-
out all the dynamic aspects of driving. Combined with
inputs from ADAS technology and HMI, the latest VI-
grade simulator offers “capability to provide a holistic
experience for vehicle development engineers,” Bogema
said. “Getting all those attributes together brings NVH
engineers as close as possible to a real vehicle.”
The VI-grade tool includes an Exterior Sound
Simulator that projects the NVH virtual prototype
into a virtual environment, where engineers can un-
derstand how the vehicle will impact and be per-
ceived by those outside the vehicle. EVs will increas-
ingly be equipped with AVAS [acoustic vehicle alert-
ing systems], generating exterior warning sounds.
An alliance for active sound design
In late March 2021, VI-grade and BlackBerry QNX announced
a partnership to enable real-time active sound design for the
entire vehicle soundscape, by integrating VI-grade’s NVH
Simulator with QNX’s Active Sound Design software.
The partnership allows designers to work interactively
with a complete NVH simulation of the target vehicle and to
experience the sound design in a realistic way, the compa-
nies said. The VI-grade NVH Simulator connects QNX ASD to
other sound and real-time data sources in the vehicle, so that
tests and modifications can be performed much earlier in the
design process. This helps reduce the need for physical pro-
totypes and saves development time and costs.
“With this combination of technology, sounds can be
designed and tuned on a computer, in the context of all
other vehicle sounds, over the entire operating envelope of
the vehicle and evaluated with a free-driving, driver-in-the-
loop simulation, drastically reducing the need for prototype
vehicle testing and tuning,” observed Dave Bogema, VI-
grade’s director of NVH Solutions.
Lindsay Brooke
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
SIMULATION | NVH FEATURE
In the new alliance of VI-grade and BlackBerry QNX, VI-grade’s NVH Simulator
connects QNX ASD to other sound and real-time data sources in the vehicle,
enabling tests and modifications to be performed earlier in the design process.
“You want to make sure that it doesn’t adversely impact the inte-
rior of the vehicle. How much of that noise is getting into the cabin—
and is it pleasant or unpleasant? The sound designers craft these
sounds; in the studio they sound amazing. Then you put them on the
vehicle and they sound different.”
According to Bogema, engineering responsibility for AVAS can be
ambiguous, depending on the company. “Who owns it—NVH? Safety?
We’ve seen a significant uptick in the need to evaluate these sounds
for EVs. And the focus is not on AVAS only. All manner of interior
sound cues are getting added to give the vehicle character, too.”
‘Multi-attribute’ simulation is next
NVH simulation’s increasing capabilities are also in demand with sub-
systems and component developers, including tire designers, to el-
evate the performance of their products, according to Bogema. “In
the past many of them [subsystems] have been developed in a vacu-
um, he said. Now they’re looking at those noises in the context of the
rest of the vehicle’s noise.
“That’s one of the powerful parts of the NVH Simulator technol-
ogy – it lets you take the AC compressor noise, for example, and put
it into context of what the vehicle occupants are actually hearing,”
he explained.
Technical progress in NVH simulation is moving swiftly. “From the
NVH side our focus is on continuing to make the tools easier to use,
so engineers can be more efficient in making high-fidelity virtual pro-
totypes, and accelerate product development,” Bogema noted. He
said in the next five years there will be greater focus on ‘multi-attri-
bute’ simulation – sound, vibration, ride, handling, ADAS functional-
ity, all simulated at once. “It’s going to come together,” Bogema pre-
dicted. For more information: http://www.vi-grade.com/NVH.
May 2021 25
Metamaterials R&D
MATERIALS FEATURE

TARGETS NVH ABATEMENT

Nissan readies its lightweight
acoustic solution for 2022
production — will Hyundai follow?
by Lindsay Brooke

A
coustics engineers have a broad variety of
materials from which to choose for reducing
noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in ve-
hicles. But their selection often comes with a
measurable downside: added mass. It’s not uncommon
for a new vehicle to gain 100 lb (45 kg) or more during
development as various absorbers, reflective barriers
and absorber-barrier combinations — typically baked-
on mastics, blankets, injected foams and acoustic glaz-
ing — are brought to bear.
In an era where “lightweighting rules” and engineers
are rewarded on a per-gram basis for cutting vehicle
weight, materials researchers are betting on new de-
velopments to win the NVH-versus-mass battle. So-
called metamaterials offer significant promise here,
with a potential added benefit of being less costly Nissan advanced-materials researcher Susumu Miura with metamaterial sheet and
inset close-up.
than the traditional NVH solutions used by OEMs.
“Meta” comes from the Greek word μετα – “to go be-
yond.” Metamaterial mediums are man-made, macro-
scopic composites. Their three-dimensional cellular hon-
eycomb-like architecture is such that local interaction
The metamaterial offers the sound
between the cell assemblies gives them excellent proper- isolation of traditional solutions
ties for curbing or redirecting unwanted sound waves.
Nissan’s extensive interest in metamaterial began in weighing four times as much.
2008, when its scientists began using it on highly sen-
sitive antennae used to study electromagnetic waves.
The OEM now is vectoring its development toward The company claims material cost parity, if not a cost reduction,
production. Nissan first revealed the metamaterial at compared with incumbent NVH mitigation. Nissan has not revealed
CES 2020 and indicated that it will be used for NVH suppliers for the production of its metamaterial.
attenuation in the new 2022 Ariya luxury EV. Hyundai materials researchers, along with colleagues at South
Susumu Miura, an advanced-materials engineer at Korea’s Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, also are keenly
Nissan, said the metamaterial offers the sound isola- focused on metamaterials opportunities. Hyundai, among other
tion of traditional solutions weighing four times as vehicle applications, has focused its research on using metamaterials
much. He described it as a simple lattice structure to reduce the vibration and noise transfer of a firewall panel. See SAE
wrapped in a plastic film and capable of reducing 500- Technical Paper, An Application of Acoustic Metamaterial for
1,200-Hz wide-frequency-band noise typically origi- Reducing Noise Transfer through Car Body Panels: https://www.sae.
nating from the road or powertrain. A Nissan video org/publications/technical-papers/content/2018-01-1566/. The study
NISSAN

shows the metamaterial can reduce cabin background showed that the suggested metamaterial structure was effective in
noise from more than 70 dB to less than 60 dB. reducing noise transfer through the bodyshell.

26 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING


SPOTLIGHT: 3D PRINTING / ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Large-format 3D metal printer
The Sapphire
XC extra-ca-
pacity, large-
format printer
from VELO3D
(Campbell,
Calif.) is said
to increase
production
throughput
by 5X and
reduce cost-
per-part by up to 75%, when compared to the existing
Sapphire system. The company also announced plans to
roll-out Sapphire Gen 2, which will be a software and hard-
ware upgrade to the current system. According to VELO3D,
users can expect an improvement of anywhere between
10-50% in productivity and part-cost metrics when com-
pared to the current Sapphire system. The Sapphire XC fea-
tures larger build volume: 600 mm x 550 mm (23.622 in x
21.653 in) compared to 315 mm x 400 mm (12.402 in x
15.748 in) in Sapphire; higher productivity for production: 8
lasers x 1,000W each compared to 2 lasers x 1,000W in
Sapphire; and an integrated manufacturing process: Fully
integrated with Flow pre-print software and Assure quality
control software.
For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/79441-400
Motion and I/O controller
ClearCore from Teknic (Rochester,
N.Y.) is a low-cost, multi-axis,
motion and industrial I/O controller
offering OEMs a new way to save
space, money and wiring in their
automated machinery. ClearCore
provides four axes of motion
control, Ethernet, serial, USB, and wireless expandability along
with 13 configurable digital & analog I/O points. Hardware
includes a 32-bit, floating point ARM Cortex-M4 processor, 192k
local RAM, 512k Flash, interrupt handler, and an onboard SD
Card interface for storage expansion. ClearCore provides up to
four axes of motion control for Teknic’s ClearPath integrated
servos, third party stepper drives, or any brushless servo motor
with a digital servo drive. Customers can extend I/O
compliment with 8-point I/O expansion modules (CCIO-8) for a
total I/O compliment of 73 I/O points. ClearCore is compatible
with XBee modules for peer-to-peer wireless communications
such as WiFi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, DigiMesh and 802.15.4.
For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/79441-402
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
PRODUCT
BRIEFS
SAF-based 3D printers
Stratasys’ (Eden
Prairie, Minn.) upcom-
ing line of powder bed
fusion-based 3D print-
ers are specifically
designed to meet the
needs of volume man-
ufacturing. The new H
Series Production
Platform will be pow-
ered by selective ab-
sorption fusion (SAF)
technology, which is a
new industrial-grade additive manufacturing technology
that delivers production level throughput for end-use parts.
According to Stratasys, SAF-based 3D printers can deliver a
competitive cost per part at production level throughput
and with higher part quality, consistency and reliability as
well as high production yield. SAF technology uses a coun-
ter-rotating roller to coat powder layers onto a print bed
and prints absorber fluid to image the part layers. The im-
aged layers are fused by passing an IR lamp over the entire
span of the print bed. SAF technology executes these key
process steps in the same direction across the print bed to
provide a uniform thermal experience for all printed parts
regardless of their placement in the build.
For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/79441-401
Structural adhesive
Designed for high-volume series produc-
tion, DELO’s (Sudbury, Mass.) DELO-
DUOPOX TC8686 structural adhesive for
hybrid-electric vehicle batteries is ther-
mally conductive and flame-retardant.
Already in use by an automotive supplier
in the ramp-up phase of production, this
new adhesive is suitable for low-voltage
batteries found in mild hybrid and
conventional hybrid vehicles, as well as
in e-bikes and e-scooters. The DELO-DUOPOX TC8686 allows
battery cells to be bonded into a battery’s housing while dis-
sipating the heat generated during operation. Instead of me-
chanically connecting the battery cells and then using gap fill-
ers for heat dissipation, the adhesive combines connection of
the thermal management system and structural bonding into
one step, simplifying production. It is designed for tempera-
tures ranging from -40°C to +85°C (-40°F to 185°F) and offers
good strength on battery cells and typical housing materials.
For more information, visit http://info.hotims.com/79441-403
May 2021 27
UPCOMING WEBINARS
ADVANCED TESTING SOLUTIONS FOR
POWERTRAIN SYSTEM AND AC/DC
AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS
Tuesday, May 11, 2021 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT
Speaker:
The challenges that engineers face during vehicle design verification,
performance evaluation, and mass production involve strict power testing
requirements, higher voltages, fast current switching and better seamless
switching, as well as compliance standards including LV 123, LV 124, LV 148,
SAE J1113/11, and ISO 16750-2.
This Webinar examines innovative solutions to help engineers overcome Tracy Chou
Product
obstacles in powertrain system testing, automotive electronics devices Application
testing, and EV battery testing and simulation. Manager,
ITECH Electronics

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For additional details and to register visit: www.sae.org/webcasts

0.50MM: A CASE STUDY IN

MINIATURIZATION
Tuesday, May 18, 2021 at 2:00 pm U.S. EDT
Speaker:
As electrical content in vehicles continues to increase, the need for
miniaturized automotive terminals and connectors is greater than ever.
OEMs are often hesitant to move to the smaller 0.50mm terminal size
released by USCAR/EWCAP nearly 10 years ago because of concerns about
robustness and performance.
This Webinar looks at the pitfalls of downsizing, examines global trends, John Myer, Fellow
Transportation
and discusses the lessons learned to achieve both robustness and small Solutions,
size. It concludes with an audience Q&A. Automotive,
TE Connectivity

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WEBINARS
NEXT-GEN VEHICLE INNOVATION:
STREAMING ANALYTICS FOR SMART
FACTORY AND CONNECTED VEHICLES
Available On Demand
Speakers:
With growing factory modernization efforts, the ever-increasing
electronics content of each vehicle, and the introduction of 5G, a
data explosion looms that will increasingly threaten the ability of
manufacturers to collect, process, and manage the required data –
especially in real time, which is critical to overall success and ROI.
Smart factory technologies, when combined with testing and simulation,
quality and process control, and autonomous machines/robotics, can help Peter McCallum Larry Vivolo
automotive OEMs and suppliers increase efficiency, reduce costs, and create UDS Senior Senior Business
Systems Engineer, Development
new revenue streams. Real-time streaming analytics enables anomaly Global Alliances, Manager,
detection for predictive quality and maintenance in manufacturing. Dell Technologies Dell Technologies
This Webinar addresses the key benefits and challenges of Smart
Factory deployment.

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TRENDS IN PASSENGER-VEHICLE
COMPONENT DESIGN SIMULATION
Available On Demand
Speakers:
Simulation is taking an increasingly dominant role in the
design of components for light vehicles. With onboard
real estate at a premium, an ongoing drive for modularity
and smart packaging, and increasingly condensed
development timelines, it’s clear that designing
components in a virtual environment is a must.
This Webinar from the editors of Automotive Sam Akehurst Scott Bergeon Brian Campbell
Deputy Academic Technical Director, Chief Engineer,
Engineering examines current strategies and best Director, Institute North America, Design
practices to optimize effort and drive efficiency in the for Advanced VI-grade Engineering,
simulation development phase. Automotive FEV North
Propulsion Systems, America Inc.
University of Bath

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For additional details and to register visit: www.sae.org/webcasts

READER
FEEDBACK
Hero Hau Thai-Tang Inmotive’s innovative 2-speed
Thanks for a great article on Hau Thai-Tang [March]. I worked Your article in the February SAE magazine on the clever new
with the ’05 Mustang program as a supplier partner and at Inmotive 2-speed transmission was informative. My company
that time we all knew he was destined for top management is currently investigating power transmission options for a
— at Ford or anywhere in the auto industry! Then as head of new product and this article enlightened us on two critical
Ford Purchasing he demonstrated more of the diplomatic issues. Thank you.
management skills that could yet put him into the CEO seat in Reyansh Patel
Dearborn. Hau’s an industry hero
to those who know him. Still more on EV cabin heat
Jim Dublin I read the Reader Feedback sec-
tion of the January/February
Thank you, SAE, for recognizing 2021 issue with great interest.
Hau Thai-Tang in the March issue. The concerns expressed with
It is a very interesting and factual [EVs in] cold weather are very
article. real and must be considered.
Ulrich Seibert However, similar concerns exist
Cologne, Germany for warm-weather driving. If the
outside temperature is high, as it
Hype-horsepower EVs is often here in this part of
Enjoyed your April editorial. Pennsylvania in the summer —
Despite all the hype, we should be and as it certainly is in areas in
glad to be witnessing the greatest the deep south and Arizona, etc.
automotive landscape transforma- — air conditioning is more of an
tion in over 100 years. issue than cabin heat. All four of
You are correct that there will our family vehicles are air condi-
be casualties. History is full of tioned. In hot weather, either an
manufacturers and brands that EV would have to be driven with
did not survive. But that is what all windows open and hot air
makes it all so interesting. Like blowing or windows closed and
March Madness, you know that an onboard air conditioning unit
only a few will make it to the driven by the battery. Though I
Final Four, but it’s still fun to don’t have any “numbers,” I can
watch. The small start-up compa- only imagine the effect running
nies that demonstrated risk tolerance and innovation kept an air conditioner on the vehicle’s battery would have on its
the legacy automakers on their toes during the early part of range! AAA commented on this subject recently in an article
the 20th century.   “Cold weather can cut electric car range over 40 percent.”
Yes, the common theme to draw attention to EV start- While it is common knowledge that running an air condi-
ups right now is pickups, power and torque. But reading tioner in an IC-engine auto also reduces mileage, the deleteri-
the fleet magazine journals reveals that those companies’ ous effect is nowhere near 40%. I think your readers would
business plans really are all about the commercial truck also be very interested in the effect of hot weather on EV
market. It’s easier to capture interest in a company by range, too. Let’s get the whole story out there.
talking about a high-powered pickup truck than, say, a Raymond J. Drago, P. E.
commercial delivery van. Drive Systems Technology, Inc.
Stan Serpento Glen Mills, PA

READERS: Let us know what you think about Automotive

Engineering magazine. Email the Editor at Lindsay.Brooke@
sae.org. We appreciate your comments and reserve the
right to edit for brevity and clarity.

30 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

COMPANIES MENTIONED
Company Page
Aisin..........................................................................................................................................................................10
Apple........................................................................................................................................................................ 17
BlackBerry QNX..................................................................................................................................................... 25
BMW.........................................................................................................................................................................19
Bosch....................................................................................................................................................................6, 19
Cadillac..................................................................................................................................................................... 15
COMSOL..................................................................................................................................................................20
Continental..............................................................................................................................................................14
Continental North America............................................................................................................................. 16, 18
DELO........................................................................................................................................................................ 27
Eindhoven University of Technology....................................................................................................................7
Ford..........................................................................................................................................................................18
General Motors................................................................................................................................................. 15, 18
GM Hydra-matic.....................................................................................................................................................10
Google...................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology................................................................................................. 26
Hyundai................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Institute for Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems................................................................................. 8
JATCO.................................................................................................................................................................10, 14
Jeep.................................................................................................................................................................... 10, 12
LG Energy Solution................................................................................................................................................ 15
AD INDEX
Advertiser Page Web Link
Averna Technologies Inc............................15..........................................................averna.com
Battery & Electrification Summit.......Cover 2........................techbriefs.com/batterysummit
Coilcraft........................................................23........................................................coilcraft.com
Create The Future Design Contest.....Cover 3.............................createthefuturecontest.com
Marubeni Citizen-Cincom Inc.............Cover 4........................................................ marucit.com
Master Bond Inc...........................................31................................................ masterbond.com
Röhm GmbH.................................................3...................................... acrylite-polymers.com
SAE International........................................31.............................................connection.sae.org
SPE Automotive Innovation
Awards Competition & Gala....................5... speautomotive.com/innovation-awards-gala
Yura Corporation..........................................7...........................................www.yuracorp.co.kr
Battery Technology
Battery & Electrification Summit.......Cover 3........................techbriefs.com/batterysummit
COMSOL, Inc.................................19, Cover 4......................................................... comsol.com
CS Hyde Company.......................................7..........................................................cshyde.com
Dewesoft........................................................3..................................................... dewesoft.com
Keystone Electronics Corp...........................1.........................................................keyelco.com
Master Bond Inc..........................................24................................................ masterbond.com
National Reconnaissance Office...............17.......................................................www.nro.gov
New England Wire Technologies.......Cover 2........................................ newenglandwire.com
TLX Technologies.........................................2..........................................................tlxtech.com
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
Mahle.........................................................................................................................................................................11
MarketsandMarkets................................................................................................................................................18
Mitsubishi Electric..................................................................................................................................................14
Mitsubishi Motors North America........................................................................................................................14
Nissan................................................................................................................................................................ 14, 26
NXP......................................................................................................................................................................17, 18
PCI Express..............................................................................................................................................................18
Qualcomm...............................................................................................................................................................16
Renault-Nissan Alliance........................................................................................................................................14
SAE International.................................................................................................................................................. 26
Stellantis.................................................................................................................................................................. 12
Stratasys................................................................................................................................................................. 27
Technavio................................................................................................................................................................18
Teknic...................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Ultium Cells............................................................................................................................................................. 15
VELO3D................................................................................................................................................................... 27
VI-grade.................................................................................................................................................................. 24
Visteon.....................................................................................................................................................................18
Volvo Trucks............................................................................................................................................................18
ZF ...................................................................................................................................................................... 12, 16
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May 2021 31
Q&A
Engineering a ‘beast’ of an electric SUV
General Motors calls it a “beast,” a nickname the 2022 GMC simulations of everything — on-road, off-road, range, etc. The
Hummer SUV earns on its numbers alone. Like the electric off-road simulation we do is impressive. Then transitioning
Hummer pickup, the SUV packs a propulsion system capable into the vehicles, it’s uncanny how similar the real-world driv-
of generating 830 hp (619 kW) and 11,500 lb-ft (15,592 Nm; ing is to that of the simulator. The vehicle certainly invites
both are GM estimates). It includes a “Watts to Freedom” fea- speed and enjoyment when you’re driving it. And because of
ture that functions like an electric afterburner to boost accel- the obvious EV advantage over an IC-engine vehicle, we’re
eration. Equally impressive are the Hummer SUV’s basic ge- factoring in 800-V DC fast charging, which plays into our
ometries. Its 126.7-in. (3218-mm) wheelbase is nine inches [testing and development] schedule.
(229-mm) shorter than the pickup’s, yet the SUV’s 35.4-ft [GM’s all-in commitment to EVs has led the company to
(10.8-m) turning circle is tighter than that of the Ford Mustang expand its driver-in-the-loop simulation capabilities, adding
Mach-E, which has a 10-in (254-mm) shorter wheelbase. And new systems featuring faster image generation, higher resolu-
for customers who might point the tion and significantly quicker re-
beast off road, its 34.4-degree sponse to steering and pedal-force
breakover and 49-degree departure inputs, according to sources at the
angles are more aggressive than Milford Proving Ground.]
those of the 2021 Jeep Wrangler.
Thirteen inches of suspension Talk about the Hummer SUV’s body
travel; an underbody camera; an construction and materials.
available “crab walk” 4-wheel steer- This isn’t a traditional structure by any
ing system that enables diagonal means. We have a mixed-materials
vehicle movement; a 120-V, 3-kW strategy. The MultiPro rear gate is alu-
onboard generator and capability minum; we have a long list of different
for 800-V, 300-kW DC fast charging steel alloys in this vehicle. As a key
are some of the Hummer EV fea- part of both the Hummer EV pickup
tures created by Al Oppenheiser’s and SUV, we took an advanced tech-
team. A 36-year GM engineering nology within GM — a sandwich-type
veteran and unabashed perfor- construction. Two rectangular steel
mance enthusiast, Oppenheiser led plates protect the battery and provide
development of the fifth- and sixth- the vehicle’s torsional rigidity. The
generation Chevrolet Camaro, in- battery and that structure are inte-
cluding the thundering ZL-1 and grated, making the vehicle’s off-road
Z-28 variants before being selected capability superior to a traditional
as chief engineer of electric vehicles body-on-frame or even an integrated
Al Oppenheiser,
in 2018. He fielded the following [unibody] structure.
chief engineer of
questions during a recent media GM’s EV program.
backgrounder on the Hummer SUV’s Can the battery pack be fully im-
development. mersed in water?

Does GM have a new vehicle test reg-

“800-V DC fast charging Water fording [for the Hummer
SUV) is 32 inches. While it’s a sealed
imen for its Hummer EV portfolio,
compared with the IC-engine trucks?
plays into our testing and battery pack, it’s never advisable to
leave any vehicle stationary in
Yes. All vehicles go through strin-
gent validation processes for dura-
development schedule.” standing water.

bility, propulsion, drive units, ride What is the ideal DC fast charging
and handling, temperature, angle curve, given the optimal state-of-
grades, etc. We’ve changed the charge and ideal temperature?
game quite a bit here in terms of DC charging is faster, the lower the
how we test these vehicles. SoC [state of charge] level. It’s a
One of the biggest innovations physics equation. With the 20-mod-
is more virtual tools to help speed ule battery pack we’re able to get 20
the development process. We do a miles [of range] in 12 minutes. This
lot more simulation up front. Last helps take the charging anxiety out
year, we went through extensive of an EV customer’s mind.
GM

32 May 2021 AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

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