Ricardo opens digitally enabled Electrified Propulsion Research Center

Ricardo formally opened its new Electrified Propulsion Research Center at its Shoreham Technical Center in West Sussex.

Designed to support the company’s existing work in powertrain optimization and electrification, the new state-of-the-art research center, which has cost £5.5 million (US$7.7 million)and included a grant of £1.5 million (US$2.1 million) from Coast2Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, will enable the research and development of the next generation of electrified vehicles from component level subsystems to fully integrated powertrains.

It will significantly increase the range of services and solutions across all platforms and applications in electric vehicle development available to global customers.

The new research center will be underpinned by digital engineering and simulation technology, including digital twins which will replicate the physical environment and will be refined with actual test data to accelerate development times.

The facility is designed to integrate seamlessly with the company’s digital analysis, simulation and calibration accelerators so that vehicles can be developed holistically using fully optimized technology solutions. This will further enhance the company’s established digital engineering expertise, allowing the provision of customer solutions which: are greener because they are less energy- and resource-intensive; remove risk from development through more efficient, faster digital techniques; reduce cost and time to market to provide competitive advantage.

Ricardo’s Electrified Propulsion Research Center, in conjunction with its investment in the building of a hydrogen test and development center (earlier post), will create a clean energy transport center of excellence which will be unique in the UK.