- Speeds up product innovation and the development of advanced vehicle software architectures.
- Reduces costs by 70-80% while significantly enhancing the verification and validation of software features.
- Allows for the verification and validation of new technologies prior to in-vehicle testing.
National, August 2024 – Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has launched a cutting-edge Mechatronics Lab at its Oragadam facility. This new lab dramatically enhances the efficiency of software architecture verification and validation, achieving cost efficiencies of 70-80% compared to traditional methods. By employing agile methodologies, the lab rapidly identifies and resolves software bugs through a closed-loop feedback system. Processes that once took weeks or months can now be completed in days, significantly boosting the quality and testing efficacy.
The DICV Mechatronics Lab is designed to ensure that software features in trucks and buses not only meet current safety standards but also position Daimler Truck products manufactured at DICV ahead of future global safety regulations.
Mr. Pradeep Kumar Thimmaiyan, President of Product Engineering & Chief Technology Officer at DICV, stated, “Our new Mechatronics Lab marks a pivotal shift in our R&D operations, ushering in an era of enhanced agility and groundbreaking innovation. Beyond just validation, this lab serves as an innovation hub, placing us at the forefront of global technological advancements. It aligns with our long-term vision of ‘Make and Develop in India, for India and the World,’ and reinforces our commitment to setting new benchmarks both domestically and internationally.”
Mr. Dilip Shrivastava, Head of Mechatronics and Software Technology at DICV, added, “Our lab can verify and validate approximately 300 features and over a thousand signals within 10 days, and can assess 600 fault codes in a developing product in just a few weeks—tasks that previously took months. This capability ensures that our software architecture is fully verified and validated before it is integrated into our trucks and buses, saving significant development costs. The efficiencies introduced by our Mechatronics Lab will play a crucial role in accelerating product development cycles.”
The Mechatronics Lab will play a vital role in advancing DICV’s R&D efforts, particularly in improving the safety, efficiency, and performance of its vehicles, while also speeding up the development of new vehicle generations. The lab’s capabilities include simulating and confirming rare fault cases that are difficult to replicate in real-world conditions, ensuring comprehensive verification and validation.
The lab infrastructure features a flashing station for pre-production verification of all ECUs, ensuring hardware and software compatibility before production and minimizing errors. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) setup allows on-road data to be reproduced in the lab, aiding early software modifications and reducing vehicle dependency. The lab also facilitates the safe verification of Driver State Monitoring (DSM), avoiding the need for risky in-vehicle trials.
Over the past decade, DICV has set high standards for safety and efficiency in the commercial vehicle industry. Renowned for industry-leading total cost of ownership, DICV trucks offer lower operational costs and increased productivity. The new Mechatronics Lab will continue this legacy of innovation, introducing advanced safety features like AEBS, Blind Spot Assist, Driver Drowsiness Alert, and Lane Departure Warning. DICV remains dedicated to delivering vehicles that lead in safety, efficiency, and overall value, ensuring customer success both now and in the future.
