The new electric Volkswagen T2 reimagined with generative design
To mark the 20th anniversary of its largest vehicle research facility outside of Germany, the Volkswagen Group has unveiled a vintage VW minivan retrofitted with some of the cutting-edge technologies they believe are significant for the future of the industry.
With the goal of maximizing strength and minimizing weight, Autodesk worked with VW's new Innovation and Engineering Center California (IECC) to reconceptualize several components of the electric-powered vehicle.
“We are combining classic Volkswagen design with fresh ideas and innovative technologies from collaborative partners such as Autodesk,” said Nikolai Reimer, executive director of the IECC. "It's an exciting opportunity to see what we can come up with and to create a beautiful show car in homage to everything we believe in."
One of the critical aspects of electric vehicle design is achieving weight savings wherever possible because the less a car weighs, the less energy is required to propel it down the road. And more efficient energy use equals longer range, one of the most important considerations for consumers when evaluating electric vehicles.
One of the main benefits of generative design in Fusion 360 is the ability to make parts lighter, minimizing mass and material use while maintaining high performance standards and meeting technical constraints.
The IECC team applied generative design to the wheels of their 1962 Microbus Type 2 11-window, completely rethinking the structure because lighter wheels not only reduce the overall weight of the car, they also reduce tire friction. The new wheels are 18% lighter than a standard set, and the overall development time from design to production has been reduced from 1.5 years to just a few months.
"With generative design, it is possible to create structures that we - as human designers and engineers - could never have created otherwise," said Andrew Morandi, senior product designer at Volkswagen Group. “One of the biggest surprises for me was how much material could be removed from a conventional wheel structure. When the final rims arrived here at the location, it was kind of like Christmas morning. The whole team was thrilled to open the box and see how they really work."
Generative design was also used in the Microbus project to rethink the steering wheel as well as the rear support structure for the seat and side mirror mounts.