Vehicle co-development

Difficult to meet your performance objectives?
Team up with a full-vehicle and sub-system co-development partner

A co-development program supports customers in bringing to market a dedicated vehicle, meeting pre-defined performance targets. Working as a development partner for multiple automotive OEMs and suppliers has allowed LMS to build a strong know-how in vehicle development. LMS is skilled at balancing functional performance attributes against key program drivers such as manufacturing, fuel economy, weight, and overall program cost.

Through its multi-disciplinary and multi-attribute vehicle expertise, the global LMS team is uniquely positioned to assist OEMs in deploying full vehicle and subsystem co-development and integration:

• Benchmarking and vehicle concept engineering: LMS offers the full scope of engineering services to deliver a new vehicle on-time and on budget, from detailed competitor and/or predecessor analysis, over target setting and architectural decisions on powertrain and chassis concepts, to accelerated construction of full-vehicle body concept models. LMS leverages its combined test analysis methodology to generate reliable loading information for different attribute studies and single or multi-attribute simulations to detect weak spots and optimize concept designs in early development phase.
• Detailed design and engineering: LMS co-operates side-by-side or takes full responsibility of the detailed systems modeling, analysis and optimization. E.g. accelerated modification of virtual simulation models to eliminate the time-consuming modification loops on the initial CAD models, sub structured and hybrid modeling techniques, assessment of the vehicle’s real-world performance using real-world loads gathered from predecessor vehicles, as well as rapid design cycles using combined crash, NVH and durability models and assess multiple performance attributes in parallel, and much more.
  LMS has ample experience at frontloading vehicle energy management methodology as part of traditional, HEV/EV vehicle development programs balancing thermal comfort, drivability, driving range with fuel economy. In order to deploy frontloaded processes at customers LMS delivers an integrated simulation software environment for evaluating transmission, engine, chassis, battery, HVAC, cooling and energy recovery systems architectures.
• Prototype refinement and validation: LMS’s tests and analyses gain an in-depth understanding of late program vehicle performance issues and explore potential root causes. Its virtual simulation and hybrid test/analysis methodology enable quick evaluation of possible design fixes. Eventually fast prototyping allows validating the diagnosis results and ultimately develop the solution.

LMS offers a broad range of engineering services for full-vehicle and subsystem co-development projects – taking full responsibility from concept to final validation in key vehicle performance attributes:

• NVH and Acoustics: benchmarking and target setting, NVH optimization of vehicle design concepts, powertrain noise, road noise, ride comfort optimization, sound quality engineering, interior noise reduction, pass-by noise optimization
• Durability: load-data generation, test-schedule development, chassis and body structure optimization for fatigue and misuse, fatigue life validation
• Vehicle Energy Management: thermal comfort, battery range, drivability, fuel economy, engine and transmission integration and control system integration, ranging from full vehicle analysis – ICE, HEV/EV – to subsystem and detailed component design, such as engine, transmission, battery, HVAC and cooling systems, electrical power units
• Safety: Crash, occupant and pedestrian safety
• Driving Dynamics: Ride and handling, vehicle stability, maneuverability, rollover, braking, steering and steering feeling, control system integration

The LMS co-development program offers valuable insight into industry best practices, processes and applications

• Full vehicle development and integration: With a unique blend of advanced technologies, LMS supports development teams in delivering a new vehicle on time and on budget.
• Body structures engineering and interior systems development: Modern vehicle body structures must comply with numerous requirements for stiffness, NVH, crash and durability, yet be lightweight, efficient to manufacture and assemble, and offer adequate packaging space. LMS Engineering Services has extensive experience in meeting these stringent requirements.
• Engine, transmission and driveline development: LMS offers in-depth knowledge in optimizing the complex dynamic performance of engines and transmissions subsystems, while balancing fuel economy related measures with vehicle dynamic performances like comfort, drivability and NVH.
• Chassis and suspension engineering: To tackle the challenge of delivering the desired vehicle performance, LMS proposes an integrated approach to chassis and suspension engineering – one where vehicle dynamics, durability and NVH are handled in parallel from concept to vehicle refinement.
• Component validation and control systems integration: LMS leverages strong verification and validation processes for control performance evaluation via model based testing with knowledge in automated ECU testing in MiL, SiL and HiL development phases. This secures the functionality and safety of the control algorithms and enables shifting from late stage prototype optimization to a frontloaded, simulation-based approach for controls validation.

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