Methodological development from vehicle concept to modular body structure for the DLR NGC-Urban Modular Vehicle

Abstract

Three new vehicle concepts in the field of transport are being developed at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as part of the Next Generation Car META-project: Urban Modular Vehicle, Safe Light Regional Vehicle and Interurban Vehicle. In the submitted contribution, the focus lies on the development and application of a method for determining the vehicle concept and body in white construction for the Urban Modular Vehicle.

With the electrification of cars, there is an opportunity to redesign the vehicle concepts and architectures of future vehicles. In the development of electric vehicles, the integration of new components (e.g. the volume and mass-intensive batteries), provide increasing demands on the overall vehicle design and vehicle packaging.

By matching the arrangement and the integration of components for the Urban Modular Vehicle, a functionally integrated and modular body structure design is being developed. In the structural development phase, the methodological approach, which describes the complete development, employs various optimisations for the load path aligned design and modular structure design. The body structure concept from the Institute of Vehicle Concepts in Stuttgart is based on the purposeful use of different materials for the purposes of multi-material construction and can show advantages over conversion designs.