VI-grade announces commissioning of DiM250 DYNAMIC Simulator at HORIBA MIRA’s brand new Driving Simulator Center
Nuneaton, Warwickshire, September 28th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the commissioning of a DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator – first one to be installed in the UK – at the brand new Driving Simulator Center in Nuneaton, Warwickshire located at HORIBA MIRA's UK headquarters, a leading provider of vehicle attribute engineering on a global scale.
With an investment exceeding £4 million, the brand new center empowers established automotive OEMs, emerging vehicle manufacturers, and tier one suppliers to create vehicles that authentically embody their brand identities. Utilizing virtual tools, this new capability accelerates the development of vehicle attributes in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
UK’s first VI-grade DiM250 Dynamic Simulator, at the heart of the new Driving Simulator Centre, is one of the world’s most advanced and high-performance dynamic motion driving simulators. Its use significantly reduces the need for physical vehicle testing and prototypes, reducing associated carbon emissions. At full reduction, one developed vehicle model using the VI-grade simulator could avoid a maximum potential of 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Customers utilizing HORIBA MIRA’s Driving Simulator Centre will also get access to its VI-grade COMPACT Simulator, acquired in 2021, conveniently located within the same facility.
Declan Allen, Managing Director at HORIBA MIRA said, “Through the newly launched Driving Simulator Centre, the cost and complexity of refining driven vehicle attributes to meet today’s changing customer expectations are significantly reduced. This new facility enhances HORIBA MIRA’s capabilities and is an enabler of its attribute-led development methodology, while also being a critical tool supporting complex engineering developments across ADAS, HMI and XiL.”
Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade said, “We are delighted that VI-grade and its simulators have been selected as the tools of choice for HORIBA MIRA and its Driving Simulator Centre. With a long and respected automotive engineering history, we’re excited that both VI-grade’s DiM250 Dynamic Simulator and COMPACT simulator will be supporting global automotive manufacturers and suppliers as they look ahead to future vehicle programs and engineering challenges.”
The Driving Simulator Centre, together with HORIBA MIRA’s subjective led attribute methodology, puts the Human-in-the-Loop at the very start of the virtual engineering series. Attribute development engineers can make accurate and unlimited comparisons quickly and at lower cost, often at the flick of a switch. This is especially important when working to balance conflicting attributes to achieve an optimized vehicle. This results in more informed subjective-led decisions being made throughout the entire development cycle rather than waiting for a physical prototype – and in many cases can significantly reduce the number of prototypes required.
The Driving Simulator Centre enables automotive companies to conduct virtual development across many automotive applications. Predominantly this is focused on the driven attributes: vehicle dynamics, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), and drivability, but also includes holistic engineering across capabilities growing in complexity and importance, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), human machine interface (HMI) and x-in-the-loop (XiL) applications.
For almost 80 years, HORIBA MIRA has played a pioneering role in automotive engineering innovation. As the industry pivots, HORIBA MIRA continues to lead the charge and is aligning its engineering capabilities and infrastructure to support its customers in the transition to net zero. The Driving Simulator Centre is a key enabler of net zero ambitions by significantly reducing the industry’s reliance on carbon-intensive physical prototypes.
With an investment exceeding £4 million, the brand new center empowers established automotive OEMs, emerging vehicle manufacturers, and tier one suppliers to create vehicles that authentically embody their brand identities. Utilizing virtual tools, this new capability accelerates the development of vehicle attributes in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.
UK’s first VI-grade DiM250 Dynamic Simulator, at the heart of the new Driving Simulator Centre, is one of the world’s most advanced and high-performance dynamic motion driving simulators. Its use significantly reduces the need for physical vehicle testing and prototypes, reducing associated carbon emissions. At full reduction, one developed vehicle model using the VI-grade simulator could avoid a maximum potential of 14,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Customers utilizing HORIBA MIRA’s Driving Simulator Centre will also get access to its VI-grade COMPACT Simulator, acquired in 2021, conveniently located within the same facility.
Declan Allen, Managing Director at HORIBA MIRA said, “Through the newly launched Driving Simulator Centre, the cost and complexity of refining driven vehicle attributes to meet today’s changing customer expectations are significantly reduced. This new facility enhances HORIBA MIRA’s capabilities and is an enabler of its attribute-led development methodology, while also being a critical tool supporting complex engineering developments across ADAS, HMI and XiL.”
Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade said, “We are delighted that VI-grade and its simulators have been selected as the tools of choice for HORIBA MIRA and its Driving Simulator Centre. With a long and respected automotive engineering history, we’re excited that both VI-grade’s DiM250 Dynamic Simulator and COMPACT simulator will be supporting global automotive manufacturers and suppliers as they look ahead to future vehicle programs and engineering challenges.”
The Driving Simulator Centre, together with HORIBA MIRA’s subjective led attribute methodology, puts the Human-in-the-Loop at the very start of the virtual engineering series. Attribute development engineers can make accurate and unlimited comparisons quickly and at lower cost, often at the flick of a switch. This is especially important when working to balance conflicting attributes to achieve an optimized vehicle. This results in more informed subjective-led decisions being made throughout the entire development cycle rather than waiting for a physical prototype – and in many cases can significantly reduce the number of prototypes required.
The Driving Simulator Centre enables automotive companies to conduct virtual development across many automotive applications. Predominantly this is focused on the driven attributes: vehicle dynamics, noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), and drivability, but also includes holistic engineering across capabilities growing in complexity and importance, such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), human machine interface (HMI) and x-in-the-loop (XiL) applications.
For almost 80 years, HORIBA MIRA has played a pioneering role in automotive engineering innovation. As the industry pivots, HORIBA MIRA continues to lead the charge and is aligning its engineering capabilities and infrastructure to support its customers in the transition to net zero. The Driving Simulator Centre is a key enabler of net zero ambitions by significantly reducing the industry’s reliance on carbon-intensive physical prototypes.
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