Business and science are carrying out research in Austria on the mobility of the future
Before it is introduced on the marketplace, a vehicle has to be driven 150,000 test kilometers. This can only be accomplished today by efficiently deploying virtual testing methods. The research and development center Virtual Vehicle founded in 2002 in Graz is a specialist in this area. It focuses on application-oriented vehicle development and future vehicle concepts for road and rail. Audi, AVL, BMW, MAN, Porsche, Siemens and Volkswagen are among its 90 industrial partners. About 100 research projects are currently being implemented with leading international research partners. Virtual Vehicle is participating in 25 EU projects. Disruptive digitalization, human-centered approaches and context-embedded vehicle technologies comprise the focal points of the “K2 Digital Mobility” program publicly subsidized to the amount of EUR 48 million which started in 2018 and will continue until the end of 2021.
The peculiarities of Alpine driving environments such as winter road conditions, tunnels and toll booths make ALP.Lab the most diverse testing environment in Europe for autonomous driving. In addition to a complete simulation environment and dedicated test tracks, Austria’s testing laboratory for automated driving systems also offers real-life tests e.g. on public roads and a highway section. Members of the consortium are AVL List, Magna, the Graz University of Technology, Virtual Vehicle and the research organization Joanneum Research. The Austrian Federal Government has made close to EUR 6 million in funding available for projects.
The research project “Dynamic Ground Truth” involving scientists from TTTech and Vexcel is designed to enable a high-precision measuring system aimed at the reliable recognition of the environment. Such systems serve as the “eyes” of every autonomous vehicle. The publicly supported project entitled LiDcAR, in which Infineon and the Vienna University of Technology are participating along with Virtual Vehicle, aims to develop sensors for distance and speed measurement.
Automobile research in Austria
-
AIT – Austrian Institute of Technology: Integrated vehicle concepts, electrical drive systems, lightweight construction, traffic infrastructure, co-modal transport systems
- CTR – Carinthian Tech Research: Sensor technology, quality control, electronics, engine development, electromobility
-
Joanneum Research: Smart technologies, automobile components, surface technology, traffic telematics, robotics
-
LIT AI LAB – JKU Linz: learning digital systems (artificial intelligence)
-
PCCL – Polymer Competence Center Leoben: Fiber composites, plastics technology, elastomer and surface chemistry
-
RISC – Research Institute for Symbolic Computation: Industrial software applications, virtual product design, simulation of manufacturing processes, control systems
-
RECENDT – Research Center for Non Destructive Testing: Infrared spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, laser-ultrasound, nanoidentation
Please find more information on Automotive in Austria here.
