2016 News - 19 December

VI-grade Announces the 2017 Edition of the Virtual Formula Competition

Marburg, Dec 19th, 2016 – VI-grade today announced the 2017 edition of the Virtual Formula competition.

Virtual Formula 2017 is built upon the rules and regulations of the popular Formula SAE and Formula Student. The competition will be based on the usage of VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s interactive simulation environment for motorsport vehicle modeling and dynamic analysis. All registered teams will be granted access to a complete state-of-the-art racing simulation software to find the best set-up for their car.

The participating teams will be challenged to optimize the performance of a virtual race car, minimizing the lap time on a given autocross track, an acceleration event, the Skidpad, as well as possibly reducing the ecologic footprint of the model. In line with the recent growth of Formula Student teams adopting electric racecars, and more generically with the ongoing trends in the automotive industry, the 2017 edition of the Virtual Formula will be focused on the optimization of an electrically-driven vehicle model.

The competition will be won by the team that will have the most overall points in the different events. Receivable points for each event are adjusted to the regulations of the Formula SAE.

The team results will be evaluated by a technical committee formed by vehicle dynamicists from VI-grade. The winning team will be awarded with a complete software package including multiple user access to the VI-Motorsport technology, as well as other prices to be announced soon. Additionally, all teams submitting results will be included in a presentation brochure that will be distributed by the organizing committee to a selected database of leading automotive companies and Tier1 suppliers.

More information about the vehicle model, rules and regulations, other prices and the timewise alignment with our next Users Conference in May 2017 will be announced separately on the company website as well as on the dedicated Facebook page available at this link: https://www.facebook.com/VirtualFormula.

More information on the Virtual Formula can be found here.

About VI-Motorsport

VI-Motorsport is an interactive simulation environment for vehicle modeling and dynamic analysis, which helps race cars designers and track engineers to predict vehicle performance when set-up parameters are modified, before the car is built and also in support of race events. VI-Motorsport is based on a dynamic faster-than-real-time simulation solver which can predict the virtual car behavior and has been extensively validated against test data in various race car series. VI-Motorsport allows to create road data files for tire contact and driveline targets represented through analytical description, GPS, laser or telemetry data measurements. Thanks to VI-grade proprietary advanced driver algorithms, users can drive their vehicle models on a track section or on an entire lap, in order to detect the limits of the car.

English version available here

2016 News - 26 October

VI-grade provides DiM150 dynamic driving simulator to NIO as key solution for the development of new electric cars

Marburg, October 26th, 2016 – VI-grade today announced the forthcoming installation of the revolutionary motion platform named DiM®150 (Driver in Motion) at NIO, the electric car company based in Shanghai, China, with locations in San Jose, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, and Munich.

The new driving simulator will be the first one in China and it will be installed as a turn-key solution at the company’s headquarters in Shanghai. DiM®150 will be used to virtually test the dynamic behavior of new electric vehicles in upcoming automotive projects, with particular attention on interactions between vehicle chassis and ADAS and AI algorithms.

“From HP (horsepower) to AI (artificial intelligence)” is becoming the motto of many EV start-ups around the world but this is particularly true for NextEV, the company that is driving the automotive revolution and is the most famous electric vehicle startup based in or backed by firms in China.

“At NIO, our vision is to build a high-performance smart electric vehicle designed for the mobile Internet era” said Jack Cheng, Co-founder and Executive Vice President, NIO. “We’re looking forward to taking full advantage of the DiM turnkey solution from VI-grade in order to build and market a car that excels in providing an exceptional user experience. We are also expecting to significantly reduce the number of physical prototypes during the development phase thanks to the Driving Simulator.”

“We are extremely happy to report this commercial success at NIO, because it represents our first installation in China and it shows that the DiM Driving Simulator is an extremely versatile machine serving the needs of many different automotive companies, including the highly demanding sector of electric vehicles”, said Guido Bairati, Sales Director, VI-grade. “Together with Saginomiya and all our reliable partners, I’d like to thank NextEV that officially adds today to the growing list of customers that chose to believe in the superior value of our technology.”

The 9 degrees-of-freedom DiM® platform has been designed in order to take full advantage of VI-MotionCueing as well as of all other software technology developed by VI-grade and its partners. The DiM® concept enables the extension of the motion envelope and the separation of low and high frequency contributions, which makes this type of motion platform unique and suitable for both vehicle dynamics and ride studies.

English version available here

2016 News - 15 September

VI-grade provides to FCA Latam and PUC Minas the first dynamic driving simulator to be ever installed in Latin America

Marburg, Sept 15th, 2016 – VI-grade today announced the forthcoming installation for FCA Latam (with headquarters based in Brasil) of the revolutionary motion platform named DiM® (Driver in Motion) designed by VI-grade and engineered and manufactured by Saginomiya. The new driving simulator will be installed as a turn-key solution at the “Center of Excellence in Dynamics Simulation and Vehicle Active Safety” at PUC-Minas in Belo Horizonte (MG) and will be the first dynamic driving simulator to be ever installed in Latin America.

The simulator, scheduled to be delivered in the incoming months and to come into operation in early 2017, will be mainly used by FCA Latam for the development of new cars and components, with the purpose of improving the design phase by anticipating subjective analysis done on test tracks and roads. The simulator will be also used for academic research and to provide services to other companies and institutions: the Government may contract the Simulation Center for virtually testing new roads, thus assessing their safety before their realization, or universities could conduct psychological researches on the behavior and the reaction of drivers in particular traffic situations.

“We have been increasingly approached by companies looking for solutions that can generate innovation. This project is very important to us, since it covers multidiscipline: nowadays knowledge is multidisciplinary and the university, by definition, is an environment that leads to multidisciplinarity” says Sergio Hanriot, Dean of Research and Graduate, PUC Minas. “The partnership between PUC and FCA Latam began more than 20 years ago, with the institution of a specialized course in Automotive Engineering. Since 1999, this partnership lead to over 50 dissertations, and this number will for sure increase with the implementation of the Centre of Excellence.”

“We are extremely happy to report this commercial success at FCA Latam”, said Guido Bairati, Sales Director, VI-grade. “Together with Saginomiya and thanks to the support of our partner Multicorpos, FCA Latam officially adds today to the growing list of customers that chose to believe in the superior value of our technology.”

About VI-DriveSim / DiM

VI-DriveSim is an innovative Integrated Hybrid Driving Simulator characterized by a revolutionary software and hardware design and targets both racing and commercial vehicle applications. The computing core is a Linux-based real-time computer, which enables owners to add any ECU or software program communicating with the digital vehicle model as in reality. VI-grade’s flagship solution VI-CarRealTime powers the system with a real-time validated vehicle model - the same one used for off-line simulations. Graphics are based on a high-quality rendering visualization program. The Motion Cueing strategy relies on complex mechanical and physiological optimization logic and the DiM Moving Platform, developed by VI-grade and engineered and manufactured by Saginomiya, is based on an innovative 9-DOF mechanical design. For further information, click here.

About Saginomiya

Saginomiya is the leading provider of automatic controls and test systems in Japan as and is very highly reputed throughout the world for the quality of its products. Saginomiya started developing, manufacturing and selling test systems in 1964, expanding in several business fields such as civil engineering and construction, industrial machinery, railway services, power generation, aviation and automotive. Saginomiya’s “Dynamic Servo” has been developed as the ideal test systems utilizing state-of-the-art core technologies such as electric and hydraulic hybrids as well as a next-generation simulator. Saginomiya is highly committed to serve the needs of the most technically advanced customers in the global market. For further information, click here.

English version available here

2016 News - 27 June

Danisi Engineering launches Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Center

Marburg (Germany), June 27th, 2016 – VI-grade today announced that its technical partner Danisi Engineering, Italian engineering services company in the field of chassis systems providing concepts, engineering, prototyping and low volume production, has officially opened its “Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Center” in the premises of Nichelino (Italy), located in the outskirts of Turin and therefore logistically close to the main Italian and European automotive OEMs and Tier1 suppliers.

The Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Center (AVD) features a static and a dynamic driving simulator based on technology provided by VI-grade and its partners: the brand new center located at Danisi headquarters features a STATIC Simulator, based on the VI-CarRealTime and VI-GraphSim software technologies, as well as a DiM150 (Driver-in-Motion), the dynamic driving simulator, based on an innovative 9-DOF design. Both simulators adopt a cockpit derived from a Maserati Ghibli.

“Investing in these technologies and processes is key. We are sure that - on a medium term - the market demand for these development and validation activities on ADAS systems and Self Driving solutions will remarkably increase” said Giacomo Danisi, owner and CEO, Danisi Engineering. “Having always focused on offering our clients outstanding engineering skills, we deemed it strategic to have these tools available and invest in the relevant know-how. Today we are the only independent engineering company in the world to boast such an advanced development centre. I would like to thank our partner VI-grade, thanks to whom we can count on cutting-edge software solutions, developed around our specific needs.”

“We are extremely satisfied to report a strengthened technical partnership with Danisi Engineering”, said Guido Bairati, International Sales Director, VI-grade. “We are looking forward to a fruitful collaboration with Danisi Engineering in the following segments: Conceptual Design, Vehicle Dynamics, Ride & Comfort, Durability, Control Systems, Physical Prototyping.”

The use of simulators is a huge advantage for the automotive industry: product development times are reduced up to 40%; computer models faithfully reproduce the real car behaviour on the road; the new vehicles are mechanically and electrically optimized and project and validation costs decrease considerably. A booming industry in the whole world, because it allows the automotive industry to save money for costly prototypes and road tests with camouflaged cars: many tests in operative conditions are faithfully reproduced at the computer.

The virtual graphic scenario where the features of the new vehicle or the reactions to the driving are tested is highly immersive and reproduces with great accuracy real driving conditions. With the driving simulator it is possible to evaluate the behaviour of the human-machine system in critical driving situations, that are absolutely realistic. There are many application fields: from car engineering to motorsport, to university research.

The simulator allows to drive different types of models with dedicated cockpits on different tracks and different weather conditions, allowing the driver to have the feeling of really being on board and develop reactions that give the possibility to verify the behaviour of the car and foresee critical aspects. The likelihood is increased by the 7-meter diameter screen, 3 projectors and a professional sound system. The graphic scenarios go from proving grounds to highways and country roads. The performances of the dynamic simulator are state-of-the-art: 9-degrees of freedom motion platform, very low latency (about 15ms from driver action to motion), frequencies up to 50 Hz, large dynamic range with 2.5g planar and 3,5g vertical accelerations, on top of the large payload to support representative cockpits (>700 kg).

About VI-DriveSim / DiM

About Saginomiya

About Danisi Engineering

Established in 1995, Danisi Engineering S.r.l. is located in Nichelino (Torino), Italy. Danisi Engineering operates in the field of chassis engineering and prototyping. Through the last 20 years, the company has grown as an OEM suppliers of chassis systems, providing engineering, prototyping and low volume production. Danisi Engineering is also very active in motorsport and racing. Car manufacturers and well known Tier-one suppliers find in Danisi Engineering the ideal partner for innovation and research programs. Danisi Engineering is a young, motivated, flexible and very experienced company, with a strong background built on several successful projects. For additional information, click here.

English version available here

2016 News - 2 March

VI-grade Signs New Sponsorship Agreements with 30 Leading Universities, Formula Student Racing Teams and Formula SAE® Series

Marburg, March 3rd, 2016 - VI-grade today announced that sponsorship agreements have been recently signed with leading universities worldwide to supply simulation technology in support of the activities of 30 Formula Student racing teams. As part of the agreement, all teams received a perpetual license of VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s software solution for motorsports simulation. Some teams also adopted VI-DriveSim Static, VI-grade’s leading driving simulation solution. VI-grade’s technology will be used by all teams to improve the performance of racing cars, supporting chassis and controls development for Formula Student vehicles.

Beneath the sponsoring of Formula Student racing teams, VI-grade also proudly supports the Formula Student events of the Formula SAE® Series in North America. The Formula SAE® events in Lincoln, NE and Formula SAE® Michigan are the oldest and two of the most prestigious events in the Formula Student race calendar. Through the sponsorship of Formula Student teams and events, VI-grade underlines its integrated approach to supporting student projects in the automotive field.

Following are the 30 universities, Formula Student Racing Teams and Formula SAE® Series teams (names and logos)that rely on the VI-grade simulation technology to improve the performance prediction of their racing cars.

“We are happy to report our increasing collaboration with major university racing teams worldwide,” said Guido Bairati, International Sales Director, VI-grade. “This is also reflected by the success of our ongoing Virtual Formula competition, built upon the rules and regulations of the popular Formula SAE® and Formula Student and based on the usage of VI-Motorsport. Now in its seventh consecutive year, the VI-grade Virtual Formula managed to attract more than 100 teams from all over the world”.

“We are very excited about our increasing collaboration with worldwide leading universities and Formula Student teams,” said Jonas Helbig, Sales Representative for Education & Research, VI-grade. “Now, major racing teams in both combustion and electric series are using our vehicle simulation solutions to increase competitiveness in an environment with less physical testing and higher demands for more performance. We are looking forward to further supporting the success of Formula SAE racing teams worldwide!”

English version available here

2016 News - 3 February

VI-grade helps Holden Racing Team to optimize their racing cars

Marburg, Feb 3rd, 2016 – VI-grade, the leading provider of best-in-class products and services to bridge the gap between real world testing and technical simulation, today announced that leading Australian V8 Supercars team, the Holden Racing Team has adopted VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s flagship solution for motorsport simulations, to optimize the dynamic performance of their race cars.

“VI-Motorsport is designed to help our racing team reduce the time needed to find the best set-up for our race cars on any given circuit and to explore more design variants in less time” says Alex Somerset, Holden Racing Team Research and Development Manager. “We are looking forward to utilizing this powerful simulation tool and adding to the success of our racing program.”

“Once again, we are proud to report another success in the motorsport industry,” says Guido Bairati, International Sales Director of VI-grade. “We are looking forward to supporting the success of this team that joins today the large community of our customers belonging to the racing industry.”

About VI-Motorsport

VI-Motorsport is a software environment for vehicle modelling and dynamic analysis, which helps race cars designers and track engineers to predict vehicle performance when set-up parameters are modified, before the car is built and also in support of race events. VI-Motorsport is based on a faster-than-real-time simulation solver which can predict the virtual car behavior, and has been extensively validated against test data in various race car series. The VI-Motorsport environment is complemented by the ability to create road data (both driverlines and tire contact profiles) starting either from GPS, laser or telemetry data measurements, or from a fully analytical description. Finally VI-grade’s advanced driver model allows users to drive the vehicle model around the specified track and to find the limits of the car.

About The Holden Racing Team

Formed in 1990, the Holden Racing Team is the most successful team in Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercars history, having won six driver's championship the world-famous Bathurst 1000 seven times, and a record 208 all-time race victories. HRT is the official factory racing team of Australian car manufacturer GM Holden, and its performance vehicle partner, Holden Special Vehicles (HSV). The team is based in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton where it shares its facilities with HSV.. The team's full-time drivers are three-time Bathurst 1000 winner and 2007 V8 Supercars Champion Garth Tander, and 2010 V8 Supercars Champion James Courtney.

English version available here