Potentials of an Early Digital Twin for Dimensional Vehicle Concept Creation in the Concept Phase

In In more than 100 years of automotive technology, existing vehicle architectures have evolved and aligned with the requirements of combustion engine drive technology. The automotive industry is currently in a turbulent phase of transformation. Vehicle development must adapt to battery-electric powertrains in a short time. Automation of driving functions, electrification and connectivity are leading to revolutionary changes in the vehicle as a product. At the same time, digitalization, a changed competitive environment, shorter development cycles and a stronger focus on in-vehicle software are also causing radical changes in the vehicle development process. As a result of this transformation, established standard concepts and solutions are being called into question. In the early phase of vehicle design, answers to the changed framework conditions and new questions must be found quickly. Solutions must be achieved in a shorter time and a high degree of maturity must be ensured. Here, the methods of digital, virtual product development open up new opportunities and possibilities. The assignment of geometric parameters in the vehicle concept phase to technical requirements and the knowledge of the interactions of these parameters with each other enable early evaluation of the vehicle concepts. The article describes the use of a development methodology by means of a digital twin in the early phase of vehicle concept development and shows interfaces, potentials and challenges that an introduction of this methodology including the connection of different digital representatives in the concept phase entails.