The complexity of current-generation powertrain designs demands the best available design and simulation tools. In the latest version of WAVE, its engine performance and gas dynamics simulation software, Ricardo improved the user interface and upgraded 3D functions.

“In the past, developers would put subsystems together and then go and test them on the road,” said Kregg Wiggins, vice president of Continental Automotive's Powertrain Division in North America. “Now most OEMs have migrated to lab-based and math-based modeling.” Standards like AUTOSAR are also gaining traction in the powertrain domain, Wiggins added.

Visteon used FlexRay architecture for the steer-by-wire system on the GM Sequel. Peter Lloyd, Visteon's director of powertrain electronics, said the system consists of front and rear electromechanical actuators, a torque feedback emulator for the steering wheel, and a distributed electronic control system. Redundant sensors, actuators, controllers and power provide a back-up structure that allows the system to be fault-tolerant. Control is provided by multiple electronic control units that are linked by FlexRay. “The system on the Sequel uses a steering wheel — a mechanism all drivers know — rather than a joystick,” Lloyd noted.

“Automakers are adopting advanced mathematical techniques in their engine development process so they can meet the time and cost deadlines due to aggressive standards,” said Jon Friedman, automotive industry marketing manager at The MathWorks.

“Model-based design has been heavily adopted in powertrain because the problem is so complicated and the return on investment in tools and training are easier to understand,” Friedman added. “Model-based design and analytical tools are especially critical in hybrids because the technology is moving so fast, and getting it wrong is so costly.”

Friedman said automakers have made big strides in algorithm developmen — including automatic code generation — and verification, through software in the loop and processor in the loop. “The goal is to find problems where and when they are cheapest to fix. This is especially critical in hybrid design, where hardware and algorithms come together at the same time.”

Friedman noted that the automotive industry is shifting away from the traditional process of tuning last year's prototype toward an analytical process, and the competitive advantage is not just in using analytical tools, but how much and how deeply they're used.”

“Multiple domains are being integrated,” concurred Lee Johnson, senior applications engineering manager for the Saber analysis system at Synopsys. “The next step is to account for more detailed effects through more complex models-without so many prototype iterations; to support robust design and similar techniques.”

John Day writes regularly about automotive electronics and other technology topics. He holds a BA degree in liberal arts from Northeastern University and an MA in journalism from Penn State. He is based in Michigan and can be reached by e-mail at