The automotive industry: Virtual testing and traffic simulation

During a trip, drivers constantly make decisions - consciously and unconsciously - about what to do next. In AVs and CAVs, this is done by a software. It reacts to road conditions as well as to other vehicles. Complex scenarios can happen in road traffic, such as lane changes or lane merges. Therefore, each decision must consider the behavior of surrounding vehicles, their speed, and the time until a possible collision. A simulation software can generate realistic traffic, in which the driver assistance systems are both tested for errors and optimized.

Emission standards are becoming increasingly strict worldwide. When vehicle manufacturers install new systems or adjust existing ones, they must measure and document the expected emission values. If the emissions are too high, they need to change the systems. 

With the simulation’s virtual testing environment, auto makers can study different scenarios and designs, and calculate the expected emissions - even before the first prototype is developed and built. This saves development costs and time and ensures more realistic results. 

For some time now, engineers and technicians in the automotive industry have been relying on simulations of new vehicles in virtual testing environments. However, without simulating the surrounding traffic, your results will paint an inadequate picture. With PTV Vissim, you generate ambient traffic, which is essential for the analysis of interactions with other road users. 

PTV Vissim has a variety of interfaces to all known software solutions in the industry, such as IPG (CarMaker), DSpace (ASM), Simcenter (PreScan), MSC Software Corporation (Virtual Test Drive). Thus, you can combine PTV Vissim's smart microscopic traffic simulation with the simulations of interacting vehicles from a third-party provider.  

Imagine leaving a highway and driving into the city. The traffic flow is changing, instead of constant speed, we now have stop-and-go with frequent acceleration and braking. Software allows you to simulate situations like this in a virtual testing environment – and repeat it with changing variables. 

Such tests are essential in the development and calibration of complex combustion and hybrid engines. With them, auto engineers can get the most out of the power unit and increase efficiency. 

With fossil fuel sources becoming scarcer and climate change progressing, alternative energy sources are increasingly in demand. Battery- and hydrogen-powered cars, and hybrid vehicles, are now an integral part of car manufacturers’ offer. 

With a microscopic traffic simulation, you can examine these alternative vehicles for their range, charging behavior and environmental impact.