In the wake of 73 countries announcing net-zero carbon targets by 2050, the automotive industry must now both meet legislative ambitions and develop winning models. Hexagon’s initiative promises to enable rapid innovation towards new classes of vehicle that outperform combustion to overcome customer’s performance and cost concerns.
Hexagon’s design, engineering and manufacturing technologies are employed by industry leaders such as Volkswagen and Bosch, and touch more than 75% of vehicles produced today, from optimising the efficiency of new electric vehicle (EV) powertrain design and production to quality inspecting new range-boosting batteries. Through 100%EV, Hexagon is focussing its combined technologies and expertise to help manufacturers integrate these processes and accelerate the global transition to EVs.
Electric vehicles are expected to represent a third of the automotive market by 2025, but customers remain concerned about their range and need compelling reasons to buy at current prices, which is setting new expectations for the in-car experience and innovation. In response, carmakers plan to launch 400 new Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) models by 2025* and manufacturers require efficient ways to develop EV platforms and models, but without prohibitive cost.
Such disruption is unprecedented and is driving the need to build upon contemporary design and engineering processes that are the apex of 100 years’ automotive advances, and employ new approaches that work in concert with manufacturing lines and suppliers to deliver the same quality and safety for new vehicles in unparalleled timescales.
Paolo Guglielmini, President, Manufacturing Intelligence division at Hexagon said: “We believe the journey towards a cleaner and more sustainable 100% EV future can, and should, be accelerated through innovation. The automotive industry is rallying to meet the demanding deadlines for the rollout of EVs, but wrestling with the complexity of producing new vehicles that consumers want to buy.
“EV development is just getting started. There is a race to build better and more tailored models and we want to help companies think beyond contemporary practices and win market share. We believe such a rapid pivot can only be addressed through smart manufacturing technologies that support eMobility development from concept to customer, making the journey toward 100% EV faster and more cost-effective.”
Hexagon’s 100%EV solutions will help the automotive industry overcome new EV challenges. For example, optimising the efficiency of electric powertrains from mechanical design and lubrication to precision machining, optimising the acoustics of the vehicle to avoid motor noise, to optimising manufacturing and quality inspection to produce more efficient batteries and electric motors. They will join up fragmented development processes, bringing together previously siloed disciplines to unlock innovation and enable widespread adoption ahead of the regulatory deadlines.
