Pininfarina SEO, Silvio Angori, and chairman of Evergrande Group, Hiu Kayan, signed the agreement at the Evergrande headquarters in Shezen, China, which outlines the goals of designing and developing a new range of electric vehicles and utilizing the joint capabilities of the firms. Evergrande has made significant investments into alternative-fuel vehicles, with four manufacturing plants in China and a European base in Sweden.

Kayan said, “The purpose of our cooperation is for Evergrande to become the most innovative, competitive and sustainable manufacturer of new energy vehicles in the world. We cannot think of a better partner than Pininfarina for designing a new range of beautiful and innovative models for car brand Hengchi. Together, we will explore the expansion of our cooperation beyond this agreement, in the future.”

“We are honored and proud of starting this long-term cooperation with Evergrande,” said Angori. “We are matching their vision – to work with the international community to speed up innovations of NEV technologies. We strongly believe that our cooperation will be successful, will help the development of the new mobility, and will help to build a clean world and contribute to shaping the future for humanity.”

The High Power Density (HPD) EV system comprises of an 80kW single motor, inverter and a single-speed transmission with the associated cooling systems. Weighing 70kg (154 lb), the HPD powertrain is sufficiently compact to fit in an original Mini – as demonstrated by the firm’s Swind E-Classic Mini that will be put into small-scale production.

The HPD project has been funded by the Niche Vehicle Network and designed in collaboration with iNetic and the automotive engineering firm Code. The project will develop tooling and manufacturing techniques for the powertrain with the aim of reaching production by the summer of 2020, and flexibility with mounting points and component locations has been designed in to make it suitable for a variety of applications. Swindon has highlighted sports cars, commercial vehicles and leisure vehicles such as quad bikes as possible recipients of the system, as well as its viability as an e-axle for hybrid vehicles.

Swindon Powertrain’s managing director Raphaël Caillé commented, “After launching our E-Classic Mini, it was clear that there was demand for compact powertrains among the niche OEMs as well as individuals. Our solution will make it significantly easier to introduce electrification to an existing platform as well as new iterations. We’ve made it very flexible so it can fit a range of vehicles and sectors with opportunities to ruggedize. Our aim is to start deliveries by June next year.”

The list, produced by board appointment firm Inclusive Boards with the Financial Times, recognizes senior leaders in the engineering sector, and will be announced at the Inclusive Boards: Women in Engineering Leadership Conference this month.

Dr Fontaine took up the new role in January 2018; it combines the leadership of Bentley’s human resources provision and the delivery of its digital transformation and IT services, and has been the driving force behind a new digital strategy that includes the digital transformation of processes, enterprise product and customer solutions.

In addition, Dr Fontaine has introduced the first digital technology apprenticeship program at Bentley Motors and is fostering the company-wide diversity program, which has seen the highest intake of female trainees into the business.

“With women still under-represented across the STEM sector, the Inclusive Boards report is an important initiative and I’m delighted to have been featured in the list published today. Our industry offers a wide range of career options from automotive design, engineering and manufacturing, through to information systems, technology and digitization, where I’ve been fortunate to be supported in the development of my own career. As Bentley celebrates its centenary and enters its next 100 years, my priority is to ensure we attract a diverse range of candidates into all of our functions and develop their potential as part of our journey to inclusiveness.”

Having traveled by air freight from Luxembourg to Johannesburg, and then by lorry in a semi-dismantled state, the car was reassembled and fitted with its bespoke solid aluminum wheels before attempting to exceed 500mph (800km/h). The switch from pneumatic tires on its previous test run in the UK also allows the carbon-fiber aerodynamic bodywork to be refitted, including the nose section and tail fin.

Supporting the car is a team of 25, with a 50m2 desert technical camp that includes a workshop, with a lathe, milling machine and welding equipment, all required to maintain and tune its performance. The reconstruction has been completed and the finished car has been unveiled. The target is to build speed in increments of 50mph (80km/h) and exceeding 500mph within five weeks.

Bloodhound LSR driver, and current holder of the World Land Speed Record, Andy Green said, “After years of work to prepare the car and following almost a decade of preparation of our desert track by the Northern Cape government, we’re delighted to finally be here. The next few weeks will allow us to test the car and train the team, ready for our assault on the Outright World Land Speed Record next year.”

It’s the first time the car has been seen with its machined solid aluminum wheels, made specially to withstand the stresses of traveling at supersonic speeds. For this first test session, the wheels will be tested at over 500mph.

The high-speed tests will see the Bloodhound LSR car blasting along the Hakskeenpan desert racetrack for the very first time.

The world’s fastest straight-line car, powered by a state-of-the-art EJ200 Eurofighter Typhoon jet engine, was rolled out at the Bloodhound Technical Camp on the edge of the desert, and presented to Dr Zamani Saul of the Northern Cape Provincial Government.

Slowing down to go faster

One of the key objectives of the high-speed testing program is, counterintuitively, to evaluate how the car behaves when slowing down and stopping from a number of target speeds. Only once engineers and driver Andy Green are satisfied they understand the drag and stopping ability of the car will they push to the next run profile, building speed in each run by increments of 50mph.

The Bloodhound LSR team will examine how much drag the car creates in a number of scenarios and at various speeds, using the wheel brakes, one or both of the drag parachutes, and with the giant airbrakes locked into position.

Data from 192 pressure sensors on the car will be monitored and compared against the predicted CFD models to ensure they marry up. Bloodhound’s engineers will be working with assistant professor Ben Evans and Jack Townsend, from Swansea University in the UK, to check the data, which will reveal the amount of drag experienced by the car on each run. This data is critical to determine the size of the rocket that will be fitted to the car for the attempt to set a new World Land Speed Record in 12-18 months’ time.

Mark Chapman, Bloodhound LSR engineering director, said, “Newquay was all about getting up to speed and finding out how quickly we could get the engine to full power and accelerate using max reheat. Andy was on the throttle for two seconds to reach 200mph (322km/h) in eight seconds. Here at the Hakskeenpan on a 10 mile (16km) track, we can accelerate for much longer, achieve higher speeds, and investigate the car’s stability, performance and drag, all crucial as we move toward setting a new world land speed record.”

A rocky road made smooth thanks to teamwork

The Bloodhound LSR team is incredibly grateful to the Northern Cape Provincial Government and members of the local Mier community, who undertook the painstaking process of removing 16,500 tons of rock from 22 million square meters of dry lakebed to ensure the Bloodhound car can run smoothly and safely.

It’s the largest area of land ever cleared by hand for a motorsport event, and testament to the partnership forged between all three groups. This feat was recognized by the FIA in 2016 with the award of special certificates and medals for the 317 workers.

Dr Zamani Saul, premier of the Northern Cape, said, “The people of the Northern Cape Province and I are sure the rest of the country and continent is in full support of the Bloodhound land speed record project and we are honored that you have chosen and partnered with the Northern Cape for this historical event. As this administration, we have articulated a vision of a modern, growing and successful province and this can only be attained by attracting stakeholders to invest in key sectors of the province.

“This will enable us to tackle challenges of underdevelopment, unemployment and poverty. Events such as these have the potential to contribute to much-needed job creation and skills development, as well as infrastructure development for the surrounding communities. We are therefore grateful for the direct socio-economic spin-offs of the project and trust that the province will only benefit from the exposure that it is receiving. I want to wish everyone involved the best for the completion of this project and I can give you the assurance that we share in your excitement as you embark on these first test runs here in Hakskeenpan. The Northern Cape is known for setting landmark firsts and may this attempt at setting a new land speed record run smoothly and with great success.”

Pioneering cutting-edge innovation

One of the most cutting-edge pieces of technology employed by the Bloodhound team in the desert will be the low-power wide area network (LPWAN) IoT remote sensor array. Remote microclimate weather stations will be sited every 1km along the 16km track. These are battery-powered devices that record wind speed, gust speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. Since they send back data over a wireless network they can be located anywhere and still operate, which is crucial in the desert with very little infrastructure.

Data is transmitted from the IoT sensor stations via a low power, long-range radio network to a specially made data platform created by tech innovation company Digital Catapult, which converts the data into relevant and usable information used to understand changes in the weather that may affect the car.

This is vital in keeping Andy Green and the Bloodhound car safe. Cross winds in particular will affect the stability of the car at such high speeds.

Peter Karney, Digital Catapult spokesperson, explained, “The car is aiming to go faster than any other land-based machine built thus far. At the speeds hoped for, unexpected cross wind could significantly affect the stability and direction of the vehicle and are therefore a key decision point on when to run the car. We will be measuring and storing accurate data at 1km points along the track and therefore this info can be used by the team to plan the run.”

Called EB Assist Test Lab, the system allows the integration of data gathered during validation across a variety of tools and from beginning to end of the testing process. The cloud storage and optimized processes ensure that data can be shared quickly across disparate groups, while integration with third-party tools and services is designed to increase efficiency and workflow.

“EB Assist Test Lab is a first-of-its-kind, complete solution for validating complex ADAS and AD functions,” said Satish Sundaresan, head of product group analysis and system tools, Elektrobit. “Our customers told us that the validation process was too disjointed, unnecessarily complex, and frustratingly time-consuming. We developed EB Assist Test Lab to address these issues, providing our customers with the most efficient and effective approach to validation. It allows them to readily manage petabytes and more of real and simulated test drive data, streamline team collaboration across the globe, and ultimately bring features into production more quickly.”

Using the Microsoft cloud platform Azure, EB Assist Test Lab can work with data center providers such as Equinix, and is scalable to suit even large autonomous vehicle projects that can generate hundreds of megabytes of data per second per car.

“We worked closely with our customers to identify the pain points in the current test process, and build—from the ground up—a new type of product that addresses every need in the validation and verification workflow,” said Martin Schleicher, executive vice president of business management at Elektrobit. “In addition we’ve identified a network of best-in-breed providers in cloud services, simulation technologies and AI, with a goal of providing our customers with the ultimate automotive test solution.”

The developments have focused on improving the speed and accuracy of simulation, as well as better co-simulation between analysis operations and software for both Ricardo and third-party products.

Highlights include a significant increase in solution speed for the Engdyn engine dynamics package, new predictive combustion models for the performance simulation package WAVE and new modeling capabilities in Ignite that enables the development of electric motorcycles. The Vectis CFD simulation has also been improved with a new solver, adding new spray, wall film physics and more sophisticated turbulence combustion models.

“I am pleased to be able to announce the new 2019.2 release,” commented Felipe Brandao, vice-president of product management. “This latest release will provide our customers with significant enhancements in terms of accuracy and speed, as well as in the fidelity of simulation in representing the key underlying physics of the of the products they are designing, developing and optimizing.”

Chris Hopper, acting managing director of Ricardo Software told ATTI, ““With our close links with the Ricardo powertrain and vehicle engineering teams, we have a clear understanding of the engineering requirements of the automotive industry, from the latest clean combustion technology to cost-effective and energy-efficient electrified powertrains. I believe that this unique Ricardo Software perspective, insight and vision is clearly demonstrated in our latest 2019.2 release.”

Designed as an end-to-end solution for the testing program, the Simcenter Scadas hardware is sufficiently compact to be transported to all test environments, while the Simcenter Testlab software has enabled greater efficiency in the process by handling load and fatigue data acquisition, analysis and fatigue life prediction. Durability and NVH data is also captured using the same Scadas hardware using a single software environment, minimizing downtime and streamlining the simulation process.

“We use Simcenter Scadas for all our data acquisition tasks. We are testing more and more electronic components and fewer mechanical parts. The collaboration with Siemens is essential to adapt to these changes and to valid,” commented Arturo Barreu, test engineer in the function and durability department at NTCE-S.

The development program for Polestar 2 took place in the Hällered Proving Grounds in Sweden, as well as known testing locations in the USA, UK, South Africa, China, Germany, Spain and the Arctic Circle.

The Polestar 2’s twin electric motors deliver 300kW and 600Nm of torque from a 78kWh battery pack, with four-wheel drive as standard, while an optional Performance Pack adds Brembo brakes and adjustable Öhlins dampers.

Joakim Rydholm, lead chassis engineer for Polestar 1 and 2, said, “Suspension tuning is one of the most crucial elements in delivering this sophisticated ride. With our Performance Pack setup in Polestar 2, we don’t have overcomplicated electronic suspension systems. Instead, we make the smallest adjustments to the Öhlins Dual Flow Valve dampers to find the sweet spot. This really sets the car apart from other electric vehicles.”

Speaking at the Automotive EV Conference in Coventry, UK, on October 8, Lees outlined Groupe PSA’s plans to offer all new models launched from this year with a BEV or PHEV powertrain, with the entire range to be offered with the same option by 2025.

Lees also emphasized the collaboration that is required between OEMs and government in order to create the necessary infrastructure and support packages for electrification, including long-term consumer incentives, improved charging facilities, and better information for users regarding terminology and total cost of ownership.

Groupe PSA’s CMP and EMP2 platforms were designed to incorporate both electrified and ICE powertrains. Already, seven Groupe PSA electrified vehicles are available to order across three of its brands, with a further two in 2020 and two BEV LCVs also arriving next year.

The work of HBM’s accredited EMC laboratory into the effects of electromagnetic fields on force transducers has resulted in the development of the new cables, which have a number of features designed to minimize the impact on test results. In particular, the shield of the sensor cable is galvanically connected to the transducer and the measuring amplifier cage to form a Faraday cage, shielding all the components of the measurement chain.

The K-CAB-F connection cables are available in three versions. The standard type is suitable for test environments up to 85°C (185°F) and is resistant to substances such as machine oils, seawater and diluted lye. A paired shielded version has double the insulation of the standard cable and is resistant to high TF and temperature change, making it suitable for reference measurement and large distances, while a highly flexible version has been designed with minimal outside diameter, making it suitable for mobile use and low-force impacts.

Each version is available in four different lengths between 3m and 20m, with connections for HBM amplifiers and HBM’s U10M, U10s, U15, C10, C15, U5, Z30a, Top-Z30a and KDB force sensors.

Thomas Kleckers, product manager for force sensors, commented, “Our new cables are a problem solver for all force measurements using strain-gauge-based load cells. The cables offer a proofed shielding so that they can be used under harsh electromagnetic fields. The choice between the different kinds of cables is easy due to our technical data sheet. The cables can be adapted to all our load cells with connectors and all our amplifier systems.”