Darmstadt, Germany; March 23rd , 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, Chassis Autonomy, an Anglo-Swedish start-up that designs and manufactures fail-operational actuation systems for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles, and CAE Value, a Swedish tech company that provides high-end simulation and optimization solutions, today announced a strategic partnership specifically focused on improving the way chassis components such as steering systems for autonomous vehicles are designed, tested, and validated. 

This strategic partnership provides all three companies with mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities to strategically advance autonomous vehicle development, providing significant advantages for the autonomous vehicle market as well as for their respective companies. This partnership allows VI-grade to apply its simulation software, driving simulator and Hardware-in-the-Loop technology to the ADAS/AV market, implementing specific L3, L4 and L5 testing scenarios to be used at VI-grade’s  SimCenters worldwide. These will also be made available on VI-grade’s VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim simulation software platforms. Chassis Autonomy will gain access to VI-grade’s virtual test systems to both develop and demonstrate the capability of their products to their existing and prospective customers in a fully virtual test environment, all the while supported by CAE Value’s technical experts. 

"We are excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Chassis Autonomy and CAE Value," said Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “Their expertise in fail-operational actuation, for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles are designed to maintain normal steering operation, even in the event of a system fault, which perfectly complements our own virtual test solutions. This partnership will allow all three companies to leverage each other's unique strengths, reinforce our value propositions and expand our customer base, potentially creating even more cross-selling options where the use of driving simulators is indispensable.”

"We are thrilled to partner with VI-grade and CAE Value," commented Thomas Li, Co-founder and CTO at Chassis Autonomy. "This collaboration advances our ability to both develop products and demonstrate the performance of our steering system products in a virtual environment using VI-grade’s driving simulators and software. The opportunity to introduce VI-grade’s extensive automotive customer base to our products and solutions is especially mutually advantageous.”

“We are very excited to partner with VI-grade and Chassis Autonomy and look forward to supporting Chassis Autonomy and incorporating VI-grade’s technology into their development process for Autonomous Vehicles”, said Johnny Engström, co-founder and CEO at CAE Value. 

Chassis Autonomy will present on "Developing Fail-operational L3, L4, and L5 Chassis Actuation Systems using an Integrated DiL and HiL Approach" during VI-grade's 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, which will take place on May 24-25, 2023, in Udine, Italy. 

For further information on Chassis Autonomy, please visit https://www.chassisautonomy.com 

For further information on CAE Value please visit https://www.caevalue.com/

Udine, Italy, March 9th, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the preliminary roster of speakers and sponsors for its 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit, to be held on May 24th – 25th, 2023. The Summit will kick off with a reception for all attendees on May 23rd at 6pm. As in the previous year, the in-person event will be held at VI-grade’s state-of-the-art SimCenter facility in Udine, located in the north-east of Italy.

The 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is specifically tailored to the global driving simulator community, providing attendees with exclusive insights into how industry-leading OEMs, suppliers, universities and research centers leverage VI-grade’s cutting-edge simulation, driving simulator and hardware-in-the-loop technology to reduce their reliance on physical prototypes in their quest to ultimately attain virtual sign-off. Specifically curated, high-level keynote and technical presentations will feature representatives from Applus+ IDIADA, CEVT, Ford, HORIBA MIRA, Mazda, Pirelli, Politecnico di Milano, and Volvo Cars. Additional presenters will be announced shortly.

ATTENDEES CAN EXPERIENCE VI-grade’s DRIVING SIMULATORS FIRST-HAND

In addition to a high-caliber speaker lineup, attendees can sign up for exclusive driving simulator sessions, where they can experience firsthand how VI-grade’s leading simulation tools add value to the development process. These tools provide significant advantages and benefits as the development process is refined and made more human-centric. 

SUPPLEMENTAL, HANDS-ON TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSIONS

In addition to keynote presentations and product demos, VI-grade is also offering on-site workshops for its flagship software products, VI-CarRealTime and VI-WorldSim. These fee-based training courses will take place on May 26th and are aimed at experienced users who want to expand their existing product knowledge as well as learn about the new functionalities and capabilities of VI-grade’s Software products. 

The 2023 ZPS event will also host two complimentary User Group sessions on May 26th for Driving Simulator and NVH customers, respectively. These User Group sessions will provide  valuable insights into the latest advancements in capabilities and technology development. Additionally, attendees will have a unique opportunity to share feedback and make requests directly to the VI-grade product development teams. This interaction will help to ensure that the needs and concerns of customers are addressed in future developments, thereby further enhancing the value of this annual must-attend event.

“We are excited to unveil the first lineup of speakers and sponsors for our highly anticipated 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit”, commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “These presentations will provide our valued customers, partners and followers with exclusive insights into how key players in the global automotive industry are currently using simulation and driving simulators to accelerate the development of new vehicles and bringing them ever closer to virtual sign-off.”

VI-grade would like to acknowledge and thank the following industry partners for their support and sponsorship of the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: 

• PLATINUM: Rebel Dynamics, SAGInoMIYA
• GOLD: Applus+ IDIADA, Barco, Concurrent Real-Time, HBK, Imtec Engineering, Meccanica 42, MegaRide, Multimatic
• SILVER: 3D Mapping Solutions, domeprojection, Fraunhofer ITWM
• BRONZE: BE CAE & Test, Screenline
• VI-CERTIFIED: rFpro

Sponsors will be present both at the dedicated exhibition area where they’ll showcase their technologies, as well as at live demo sessions, where their products and solutions are also directly integrated into VI-grade’s driving simulators.

Registration for the 2023 EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit is now open at https://conference.vi-grade.com/. Additional details about the event will be added to the VI-grade website as they become available.

Tokyo, Japan, March 2^nd, 2023 – VI-grade, the global provider of human-centric simulation-driven vehicle development solutions, today announced the introduction of an extended version of its DiM250 DYNAMIC Driving Simulator at PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group, a premier Japanese engineering service provider closely collaborating with key players in the Japanese automotive industry. The Driving Simulator, to be installed at PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group’s new engineering site, is based on the same patented architecture as VI-grade’s DiM250 model, but with extended workspace through longer tripod actuators.

With the acquisition of this advanced driving simulator, PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group will be able to provide high-level virtual testing services to Japanese automobile manufacturers and suppliers. The group aims to solve challenges faced by all manufacturing industries, including enhancing development efficiency, product quality, and shortening development time using digital and virtual technologies.

“We are thrilled to incorporate the renowned VI-grade DiM driving simulator into our upcoming engineering facility,” said Nakayama Gakuto, CEO of PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group. “The Driving Simulator not only allows us to refine conventional automobile driving skills such as running, stopping, and turning, but also to safely perform functional verification of automatic driving systems and advanced safety control systems."

“On the other hand, the Driving Simulator is a valuable testing equipment which requires a high-level technical expertise to master. To remove this barrier, we aim to promote wider usage of the Driving Simulator by more automotive companies. By doing so, we can offer our customers an unparalleled simulation and virtual testing environment to streamline their automotive development. We are convinced that the benefits will be even greater when combined with our existing engineering technologies and the MBSE and MBD technologies that we have been focusing on in recent years. Since interdisciplinary research on driving simulators is not as prevalent in Japan as it is in Europe, we actively seek collaborations with Japanese universities and research institutes to contribute to fields such as ergonomics."

"We are excited to have PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group adopt an extended version of our DiM250 DYNAMIC Simulator in their new engineering site, which will bring their customers one step closer to zero prototypes," commented Toru Yoshii, Japan County Manager at VI-grade. “The driving simulator will enable PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group to offer the highest quality engineering services to their customers, while also significantly advancing own research projects for next-generation vehicles.”

About PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES
PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group is a passionate and highly skilled team of engineers in the mechanical, electrical/electronic, and software/IT fields. With the theme of manufacturing innovation, we are offering technical services in the design development process to major manufacturers in Japan.

PROGRESS TECHNOLOGIES Group has recently built a special team of highly skilled software engineers to scale its software solution offering to the existing manufacturing companies as well as other companies in different industries. The new division will be mainly focusing on: UI/UX design, cloud architecture design and consulting (AWS, Azure, GCP) and cloud-native web & mobile applications development.

The company is working on creating unique products that offer new experiences for customers.

For further information, please visit https://progresstech.jp

Darmstadt, Germany, February 15th, 2023 – VI-grade today announced the adoption of AutoHawk at Dallara, a world-renowned company specializing in the design, development and production of high-performance competition cars. To keep pace with the growing complexity of vehicles models and the high demand from racing teams to shorten development cycles, Dallara has now integrated VI-grade's new HiL platform powered by Concurrent Real-Time in its processes.

The acquisition of AutoHawk 16, a robust 16-core real-time system, will allow Dallara to run its driving simulators (static and dynamic) with complex vehicle dynamic models, tire models, and connect to HiL subsystems including vehicle and powertrain ECUs and the wet braking system. With AutoHawk 16 Dallara will benefit from even more reliable and precise simulations, as the workload can be split over multiple cores, ensuring hard real-time requirements are met. The acquisition will also secure the high performance and flexibility of Dallara's driving simulators for the coming years.

"With the new AutoHawk 16, we are confident to elevate our ability to provide exceptional high-performance competition vehicles and unparalleled support to racing teams from all over the globe”, commented Alessandro Moroni, Head of DiL Activities & Track Performance at Dallara. “We are excited to take this next step in our simulation capabilities and bring even more value to our clients."

“We are proud to partner with Dallara and empower them with the tools they need to continue their success in the highly competitive motorsports industry. The integration of AutoHawk underscores the growing industry’s demand for a cost-effective, complete, and open solution that encompasses hardware, software, and integration services. This highlights the value that VI-grade's advanced simulation solutions bring to the table, enabling companies to stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving industry.”, added Alessandro Baldari, EMEA HiL Sales Manager at VI-grade. 

For more information on VI-grade’s AutoHawk, please visit /en/products/autohawk/

Darmstadt, Germany, February 2nd, 2023 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced its updated 2023 event and webinar calendar leading the quest to Zero Prototypes. In an effort to attract as many attendees as possible from the global automotive industry, VI-grade has re-scheduled the EMEA, North American and Japanese Summits as follows: 

1. International / EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: SimCenter Udine (Italy) on May 24-25, 2023 (NEW DATE)
2. North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: Multimatic SimCenter in Novi, MI (USA) on September 20, 2023 (NEW DATE)
3. Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit: Tokyo (Japan) on September 21, 2023

Spurred by the success of previous ZPS events, VI-grade will once again provide its community with exclusive insights into how major global players in the automotive industry are actively using simulation, driving simulators and HiL in their quest to achieve Zero Prototypes and virtual sign-off. Attendees at the ZPS events will have the unique opportunity to test drive and experience VI-grade’s simulators live. They’ll also hear first-hand from industry experts applying VI-grade’s solutions to achieve incredible results in their quest to dramatically reduce development time while also expanding innovation. Additional information on the individual events as well as a first round of speakers and sponsors will be announced shortly.  

 In Q1 VI-grade is hosting a series of free webinars and events on multiple platforms und media outlets to illustrate to a broader global audience details and examples of how VI-grade is bringing the automotive industry ever closer towards Zero Prototypes. Presented by Michael Hoffmann, VI-grade’s Zero Prototypes expert, these webinars will outline how companies can transition from a prototype-heavy testing environment to an upfront-driven approach, making product development more human-centric. 

Save the following dates to learn more about key strategies and critical success factors that drastically reduce the need for physical prototypes:

• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by Mobex by Automotive World (English) on February 8th, 2023 at 4pm CET
• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by Jishulink (Chinese) on March 1st, 2023 at 4pm CST
• Webinar “On the Road to Zero Prototypes” hosted by GoToWebinar (Japanese) March 2nd, 2023 at 4pm JST
• Webinar “The Road to Zero Prototypes: How to Dramatically Decrease the Need for Physical Prototypes” hosted by SAE (English) on March 7th, 2023 at 1pm ET
• “Der Weg zur prototypenfreien Entwicklung” hosted by ATZ (German) on March 16th, 2023 at 10am CET

“At VI-grade we are excited to drive our Zero Prototypes strategy forward and lead the way in the quest to achieve virtual sign-off. As the automotive industry moves towards an upfront simulation-driven approach, removing the bottleneck of subjective evaluation through physical prototypes is crucial for achieving virtual sign-off” commented Michael Hoffmann, Senior Expert in Simulation Driven Development at VI-grade. “In our upcoming events and webinars we will highlight how to make product development more human-centric, enabling engineers, managers and customer focus groups to assess the driving experience throughout the development process and ultimately remove the bottleneck for achieving zero prototypes."

Darmstadt, Germany, December 7th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the 2023 edition of its popular Virtual Formula competition. 

For over ten years, VI-grade has promoted this competition to encourage SAE and Formula Student teams to learn how to use professional vehicle dynamics simulation tools. Thanks to a new regulatory change, more engineering students from around the world are eligible to participate in the 2023 Virtual Formula. Prestigious technical sponsors Automobili Lamborghini, Bugatti Rimac and Multimatic Inc. are lending their support to VI-grade in this important student engineering endeavor, and thus, encouraging young engineers to sharpen their virtual design skillset.

Participation in the Virtual Formula Competition is free-of-charge with a registration deadline of January 15th, 2023. Registered teams will have access to VI-grade’s state-of-the-art simulation tools, including VI-Motorsport, VI-grade’s motorsport simulation software, as well as a DESKTOP Simulator license including the VI-DriveSim and VI-GraphSim software products for real-time vehicle simulation and comprehensive driving simulator control.

More global engineering students will be eligible to participate in the 2023 Virtual Formula, thanks to new rules including the Optimization and Digital-Twin categories. The Optimization Category provides teams without a physical prototype with an electric vehicle model from VI-grade. The competition consists of an offline phase and an online phase. The goal in the offline phase is to improve and fine-tune the model’s performance. Teams will then compete against each other using their own desktop simulator in an online race event.

The Digital-Twin category also comprises an offline and online phase. Teams will create a digital twin of their 2023 Formula Student race car in VI-Motorsport. As in the Optimization category, the performance of each team’s own vehicle model (internal combustion & EV) is optimized in a dedicated offline phase. Before moving directly to the online phase, the Digital-Twin category features a technical review phase in between the offline and the online phase. During this technical review, teams have the unique opportunity to present their design decisions directly to the technical sponsors. Once the technical review phase is complete, teams will competitively race their VI-Motorsport vehicle models in an online event, utilizing their own desktop simulator.

The winning teams in each category (Optimization, Digital-Twin EV & Digital-Twin IC) who score the best lap time during the online race will win the competition. Winners will be awarded with either a hardware upgrade of their desktop simulator, or an all-expenses paid trip to one of VI-grade’s worldwide SimCenters.

“As the winner in the EV category of the 2022 Virtual Formula, I would like to express my congratulations to VI-grade for this competition. The software is easy to use, but at the same time it is so powerful and effective that we have decided without a doubt to continue applying it for the development of our vehicle and its control system”, commented Luca Massano, Head of Vehicle Dynamics and Control Systems Division at Squadra Corse (Formula SAE Team from Politecnico di Torino).

“We have participated in the last two editions of the Virtual Formula, having won in the 2022 Internal Combustion category of the 2022 competition. We have gained great value for our team from the participation. The Virtual Formula has significantly helped us test all areas of vehicle dynamics, even those that are more difficult for Formula Student teams to work on”, said Matteo Civale, Dynamics Division Manager at UniBo Motorsport (FSAE team of University of Bologna). “We also use the software to develop our FSAE cars, so it's a fundamental tool for the whole team. We’re looking forward to the 2023 edition of the Virtual Formula!”

Additional information, registration form, technical specifications and requirements and detailed schedule of the competition are available at http://virtualformula.vi-grade.com/ 

Darmstadt, Germany, November 30th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the launch of CARE and CARE+, a superior maintenance program, guaranteeing customers maximum operational uptime for their Driving Simulators. 

Driving simulators have become an integral part of customers' vehicle development processes. The sudden failure of an essential component not only poses an enormous safety risk but also leads to significant cost and time delays in the entire development chain. VI-grade is eliminating the risk of sudden, unexpected driving simulator downtime by introducing the CARE and CARE+ programs. These comprehensive maintenance programs offer customers real added value beyond standard preventive and corrective maintenance programs by giving customers the benefit of maximum utility from their driving simulators.  

VI-grade offers two different support levels within its maintenance program.  

The CARE program is VI-grade’s entry-level, basic support maintenance program covering:

• Annual driving simulator inspection, with a focus on the simulator’s set up and mechanical performance
• Thorough inspection and checkup of all wearable parts. This ensures the driving simulator remains in optimal condition and ensures continuous performance reliability. 
• Should a component need replacement due to malfunction or wear and tear, it will be ordered after the inspection and replaced at the customer's expense. 
• The CARE Program also includes the annual software upgrade installation. VI-grade engineers assist customers with software update installations and ensure they are fully operational with all driving simulator components.

The comprehensive CARE+ program builds on VI-grade’s basic CARE maintenance program and offers additional value. As with the CARE program, the CARE+ program includes an extensive annual inspection of the driving simulator hardware, as well as software upgrade installations performed by the VI-grade team. The CARE+ program offers driving simulator customers these additional benefits:

• Immediate access to an exclusive spare part inventory previously created by VI-grade to replace any faulty or defective component. This allows the new part to be immediately installed, with the least possible driving simulator downtime and delay in the customer’s entire development chain.
• 30% of the annual fee for the CARE+ Program is already considered an advance payment for the required spare parts. If no hardware components fail or need to be replaced, 30% of the amount paid will be credited at the end of the year and carried over to the next year.

“I am pleased to announce the launch of our two new customer maintenance programs, CARE, and in particular, our CARE+ program, which provide our customers with premium service and maintenance for their driving simulators”, commented Francesco Ambrogi, Global Service Manager at VI-grade. “Three customers are already benefiting from the CARE+ program. VI-grade is quickly moving to address the increasing demand for a high-level service program that provides real value beyond standard preventive and corrective maintenance. Exclusive access to a spare parts inventory created by VI-grade is critical to keeping customers’ driving simulators running smoothly year-round, particularly with the current disruption in global supply chains.”
 

Darmstadt, Germany, November 9th, 2022 – VI-grade, the simulation and driving simulator company that accelerates product innovation by bridging the gap between simulation and physical testing, today announced the official recap of its highly successful 2022 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits held on May 18-19 in Udine (Italy), September 22 in Tokyo (Japan) and October 12 in Novi, MI (USA). Over 500 representatives from major automotive and transportation OEMs, Tier1 suppliers, motorsport teams, research centers and partner companies attended the global event series in-person. VI-grade’s flagship event, hosted at SimCenter Udine (Italy), drew an additional 800+ virtual participants from 42 countries who followed the live broadcast, resulting in an overall record attendance.

A total of 40 Keynote and Technical Presentations by leading OEMs and suppliers provided the worldwide VI-grade community with exclusive insights into how major global players in the automotive industry are actively using simulation, driving simulators and HiL in their quest to achieve zero prototypes and virtual sign-off. All presentations were recorded and are now accessible on the VI-grade website and VI-grade’s YouTube Channel. 

Because both the European and North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits were held in VI-grade’s SimCenter facilities, those attendees also had the opportunity to test-drive the full range of VI-grade driving simulators. 20 application-specific demo sessions allowed participants to experience firsthand the value and benefits of using VI-grade's state-of-the-art driving simulators to refine the development process and thus accelerate innovation. 

Looking ahead to 2023, VI-grade is pleased to announce the NEW dates for its 2023 ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits:

1. International / EMEA ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit at SimCenter Udine (Italy) on May 24-25, 2023
2. North American ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit in Novi, MI (USA) on September 20, 2023
3. Japan ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit in Tokyo, Japan on September 21, 2023
4. China ZERO PROTOTYPES Summit (location & date TBA, pending Covid restrictions)

“We are truly impressed by the great interest our worldwide community has shown in our series of ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits, as evidenced by the number of attendees and the consistently positive feedback," commented Guido Bairati, Managing Director at VI-grade. “We look forward to building on this year's success as our ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits become one of the automotive industry's premier events. We’re pleased that our ZERO PROTOTYPES Summits have become a forum where automotive manufacturers and suppliers can demonstrate tangible success in closing the gap between CAE simulation and physical testing on the road to zero prototype sign-off.”