Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences
Hochschule Karlsruhe Hochschule Karlsruhe - University of Applied Sciences

Automotive Mobility Lab

The Automotive Lab offers a wide range of virtual and physical measurement and test benches as well as simulation platforms. These include:

Physical test benches and workshop of the Automotive Mobility Lab

BMW-i3-Versuchsfahrzeug

  • BMW i3 without Range Extender
  • Color: capparis white/BMW i blue
  • Power output: 125 kW, battery capacity (gross): 22 kWh
  • Type of registration: special registration as a development vehicle (thereby the vehicle may also be moved on public roads through modifications to the electronics / programming)
  • Conversions / special installations by the IEEM: Two bus taps on Powertrain- and Chassis-CAN (on-board communication), data logger for internal CAN communication, OBD as well as GPS, sensors for measuring the intensity of solar radiation in the vehicle interior (input parameters for dynamic control of HVAC components in the vehicle)

Workshop with equipment

  • Parking space
  • Lifting platform
  • Exhaust gas extraction for vehicles with combustion engine
  • Wallbox (power: 11 kW) for charging electric vehicles
  • Vehicle diagnostic equipment (Bosch & Mercedes)
  • Comprehensive tool equipment for work on the mechanics & electrics of vehicles
  • Many machine tools (lathe, stationary drilling machine, etc.)
  • Test track without applicable StVO outside the gates

Golf cart „Buggy 6100“

  • With fully equipped sensor technology and computing units for autonomous driving
  • Incl. road approval

learn more

Car roller dynamometer HKA

  • 2WD 48 inch chassis dynamometer (commissioning 2020)
  • up to 150 kW continuous power (up to 258 kW for a short time)
  • max. 200 km/h
  • up to 4,500 kg axle load
  • Drive wind blower up to 130 km/h
  • Cylinder pressure indexing
  • Fuel consumption measurement technology
  • Exhaust gas measurement technology

Climate and altitude simulation test bench

  • For handheld power tools. Using an IoT-based remote control, the test objects in the test stand can be controlled remotely and automatically. A demo video shows how a chainsaw in Karlsruhe was remotely controlled from Malaysia using the Internet.
  • The climate and altitude simulation chamber can simulate the pressure conditions from an altitude of 3000 m above sea level with up to 700 mbar air pressure. The temperature range of the test bed for simulating hot summer as well as cold winter temperatures in different parts of the world is between 30 degrees and -28 degrees.
  • A compressor and a throttle valve are used to set the pressure. The pressure is controlled by means of a RaspberryPi. The temperature is adjusted by a heating system, a two-stage cooling system and a chamber cooler. With the help of a fan, the air is evenly distributed in the chamber.

E-Race-Kart

  • Electric kart converted to electric
  • With advanced driving and safety features such as a traction control system (ASR) or an anti-lock braking system (ABS)
  • Use of two electric motors (permanently excited synchronous machines) with a rated power of 2.2 kW each as well as a suitable power electronics and a battery management system (BMS)
  • Battery: 16 modular lithium iron manganese phosphate cells (LiFeMnPo4), which have a total capacity of 60 Ah and supply an on-board voltage of 48 V
  • With WLAN/mobile connection

further information

Test bench for the investigation of electric motor ball bearings

  • The test bench was developed for condition monitoring of electric motors by external vibrations using machine learning algorithms 
  • The generated dataset for download and free use can be found here
  • Three vibration sensors are involved to measure the vibration of the asynchronous motor with faulty bearing to be monitored. The connected synchronous motor is used to simulate different load conditions. Both motors have a frequency drive and can be controlled via interface software.
  • Vibration data acquisition is performed with the NI-DAQ system using a MATLAB interface.

Torque vectoring powertrain test rig

  • Test rig consisting of 8 synchronous machines with 4 prime movers and 4 braking machines to simulate a vehicle and the surrounding conditions (torque specifications e.g. regarding the road) as well as with additional supply and actuation units.
  • Developed a torque control in MATLAB Simulink for communication via CAN with Vehicle Network Toolbox (VNT).
  • Using the software tool CarMaker, the environment is simulated and the default values are output directly in Simulink to the torque control for a seamless control of the synchronous machines using the fieldbus protocol CANopen.
  • Development within a BA Thesis 03/2013, Design of a test bench setup for electric drives and implementation of a torque control of permanently excited synchronous machines based on the CANopen protocol (Steffen Hartmann)

Virtual simulation and test benches of the Automotive Lab

Large Driving Simulator

  • Human-in-the-loop driving tests
  • ADAS Tests / Driver Experience
  • Integrated in driving simulator framework
  • Unity and Unreal (CARLA) support
  • Semi-vehicle equipped with: Driver and passenger seat, accelerator and brake pedals (brakes are applied realistically by using hydraulic systems), opportunity to use switches and lever signals, D-BOX motion platform (medium size)
  • 220° screen and three 4k projectors
  • Displays for side and interior mirrors
  • Display for dashboard
  • High-end simulation computer

Mid-sized Driving Simulator

  • Human-in-the-loop driving tests
  • ADAS Tests / Driver Experience
  • Integrated in driving simulator framework
  • CarMaker available
  • Unity and Unreal (CARLA) support
  • Seat unit consisting of: Driver and passenger seat, accelerator and brake pedals, D-BOX motion platform (medium size)
  • Screen + three full HD projectors
  • Dashboard display + computer
  • Surface touchscreen in center console
  • Simulation computer

Small Driving Simulator

  • Human-in-the-loop driving tests
  • ADAS Tests / Driver Experience
  • Integrated in driving simulator framework
  • Seat unit consisting of: Driver's seat, pedals, Logitech G920 steering wheel with buttons
  • Three curved screens
  • Simulation computer

Virtual e-vehicle

  • Thermal and electrical energy modeling
  • Model of a BMW i3 in IPG CarMaker including vehicle specific parameters such as weight, the dimensions, the torque, the battery capacity and the engine power
  • Adding characteristic values regarding gear ratios, efficiencies and chassis parameters (steering, tires, brakes, etc.)
  • With simplified models of electr. aggregates like battery etc., expandable
  • Development within a BA Thesis 02/2021, analysis of typical driving cycles for e-vehicles to determine the factors influencing the energy flow (Jonas Edwin Reichenauer)

Virtual energy simulation for route planning

  • Specially developed IEEM tool in MATLAB for creating and calculating route data
  • Various information can be requested via different APIs (weather, traffic, etc.) and considered when creating the route
  • In combination with the virtual e-vehicle model (IPG CarMaker), the ride can be simulated and the energy flow measured
  • Development within a BA Thesis 08/2020, Implementation of a model for the generation of realistic energy flow based on a typical driving cycle (Sharin Kumar Gunasagran)

Security victim network and automotive ECU developments

  • Innovative E/E automotive network
  • With functional behavior and security artifacts
  • Dient for testing security mechanisms
  • Test object for penetration tests as well as other security tests
  • Development of ECU functions and implementation into the victim network

Unity environment simulation for autonomous driving

  • With a fully automatic lane departure warning system
  • With cruise control and the ability to manually steer, brake, and accelerate
  • Includes traffic simulation and traffic sign recognition
  • Expandable (with sensors, communication with external CAN or Ethernet bus, etc.)

Karlsruhe
Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility (IEEM)
Moltkestr. 30
76133 Karlsruhe

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Institute of Energy Efficient Mobility (IEEM)
Postfach 2440
76012 Karlsruhe