SpeedE

Research Platform

The SpeedE project funded by the Hans Hermann Voss-Foundation focuses on the innovation potential of electrically powered vehicles in order to enhance the driving experience beyond today’s state of the art and create a distinct added value to electric vehicles. Together with project partners in research institutes and industry, the driving prototype has been built up at ika step by step in order to serve as a platform for development and testing of innovative components, systems and functionalities within a full vehicle.

and 7 more pictures

To transform the driving experience from e-mobility into e-motion, the research vehicle SpeedE incorporates many innovative technologies like steer-by-wire, drive-by-wire and brake-by-wire. The side stick steering system comprises two wheel individual actuators that enable wheel angles up to 90°. The drive-by-wire system consists of a high-capacity torque-vectoring-capable electric drivetrain at the rear axle. Furthermore, four wheel-individual electro-hydraulic brake actuators are integrated and controlled depending on the actual deceleration demand. The above mentioned systems are integrated into an extremely stiff aluminium spaceframe. The structure of the spaceframe was designed based on CAE analysis throughout the complete development process in order to ensure body stiffness at sports car level and excellent structural performance even in harsh crash load cases.

Since the start of the SpeedE project in mid-2011, the following milestones have been presented at the Aachen Colloquium Automobile and Engine Technology:

In the near future, the driving vehicle will be completed by adding the exterior. The mock-up will be integrated into ika’s new highly dynamic driving simulator.

and 4 more pictures

The project SpeedE aims at creating an open research and technology platform to combine the advantages of electric drivetrains with the complex requirements for efficiency and safety. To reach this goal, the competences of numerous scientific disciplines have been and are being joined – from transportation design and automotive engineering via electrical engineering and information technology to material sciences, ergonomics and psychology.