3D CAD and simulation software are helping electric vehicle teams address new aerodynamics, packaging and power design challenges

Designing a vehicle, whether a sports car or SUV, generally involves a core set of engineering challenges. There are issues around how to achieve great styling

that appeals to the target audience along with complexities associated with optimizing performance — and zillions of others in between. Swap out the internal combustion engine for electric power and the hurdles multiply. The engineering team has to contend with the traditional set of design objectives along with new challenges in the areas of aerodynamics, packaging and power.

Part of what makes electric vehicle design more difficult is the fact it’s relatively virgin territory, with many of the core components like battery technology, power train modules and motors still evolving. “The biggest issue with electric vehicle design has to do with the level of maturity of components available,” says Andrew Farah, vehicle chief engineer on General Motor’s Chevy Volt concept electric vehicle. “There is no high volume yet for things like batteries and motors, which makes it a very unique issue for packaging all of this and getting it integrated physically into the vehicle while still maintaining the desired exterior and interior appearance.”

Just as with traditional vehicle design programs, 3-D technologies like CAD and simulation software are playing a huge role in helping large OEMs like GM and boutique electric carmakers tackle some of these challenges. Specifically, 3-D CAD tools enable the construction of full digital mock-ups of the vehicle, allowing manufacturers to modify and manipulate components for optimal packaging far before they build a physical prototype, which is costly to modify. Computer-aided engineering (CAE) software, including finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are also enlisted to fine-tune the aerodynamic nature of the vehicles and to analyze the various structures for optimal weight and materials makeup.

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