School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering

Research

ViViD Research Project

ViVID: Virtual Vehicle Integration and Development

The ViVID team are developing methods to design and build virtual vehicles to reduce high costs associated with building physical prototype vehicles.

Our Aim

The ViVID project is a Ford-led collaborative industry research project focusing on the advancement of digital engineering tools to promote model-based system design and verification for the virtual product development process. The research will be conducted with three UK industry-based partners, who will develop key digital tools to allow UK companies to leverage the improved product development and training capability.

During the project, the team will demonstrate a new analytical approach for the engineering and design processes that enable next-generation electrified vehicle technologies to be developed. Reducing the reliance on sequential engineering and physical prototypes will provide the efficiencies needed to generate a more competitive vehicle design and reduce overall carbon emissions by bringing the vehicles to market sooner.

Our Research

This research will use a new vehicle chassis dynamometer housed at Loughborough University, as well as an upgraded electric motor characterisation rig. The group will use these facilities to find the properties of existing electric components, which will help build accurate models for use in the electric vehicle model.

Our Outcomes

The project team aims to reduce the time required for Ford to design new electric vehicles, and to allow Ford to reduce their reliance on serial engineering and physical prototypes, decreasing cost and carbon dioxide emissions.

Dr Will Midgley, Lecturer in Intelligent Mechatronics and Control Systems Engineering

“This is a unique opportunity to work with industry to improve the engineering processes used to design the next generation of electric vehicles.”

Dr Will Midgley, Lecturer in Intelligent Mechatronics and Control Systems Engineering

Athena Swan Bronze award

Contact us

The Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Loughborough University
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 3TU