Evolution scenario of vehicle size and interior layout through design and validation in real and virtual environment

Nowadays, more than ever, the automotive field is involved in a period of strong change and innovation. The evolution scenario regards two main topics: the technical switch from vehicles driven by a thermal propulsion to vehicles driven by an electric one (electrification) and the switch from a standard driving to an autonomous one (digitalization). The objective of this master thesis work, performed in collaboration with Italdesign, is to investigate how the electrification and the digitalization influence the vehicle external proportions and the vehicle interiors in terms of characteristic dimensions, seat position and ergonomics. To study the influence of the electrification, BEVs (battery electric vehicles) and ICEVs (internal combustion engine vehicles) are compared in terms of exterior and interior dimensions, and silhouette. Then, a benchmark analysis of the SAE level of digitalization of BEVs and ICEVs is carried out with a specific focus on the “robo-taxi phenomenon”. Then, the vehicle evolution scenario through electrification and digitalization has been analyzed also from a design point of view. So, starting from the Volkswagen ID.3, a new vehicle vision is defined adding, to this BEV, autonomous driving. A new vehicle set-up is designed both in terms of typical sections and in terms of interiors. Furthermore, the ergonomics of the new interiors are studied and validated through several virtual and experimental tests and with different percentile. The performed study shows that the main component that leads the BEV design is the battery pack: it influences both exterior and interior dimensions and sets the main differences between a BEV and an ICEV. On the other hand, no relevant correlations are detected between electrification and digitalization. When it comes to the design phase, the virtual and experimental tests allow to highlight criticalities which are hardly detectable using only a CAD software; so, starting from tests outputs, possible solutions are suggested.