The “Bay Zoltán” Research Centre is providing open access to an Ansible Motion simulator for Hungary’s automotive industry
Hungary is increasing its presence on the world stage of automotive manufacturing with some of the major European car makers already having a presence in the country, which also has an established base of facilities and expertise in the region.
To complement its manufacturing base, the country is also home to the Bay Zoltán Research Centre, which is Hungary’s largest applied research institute at the ZalaZONE automotive R&D park. The centre offers researchers, engineers and organisations access to facilities that enable them to perform development activities as well as prototyping, testing and simulation.
Now, the centre has added the class-leading Delta series S3 DIL simulator from Ansible Motion to its portfolio of equipment being made available to the country’s automotive development community. Ansible Motion’s dynamic driving simulator is a key element of a project that is destined to place Hungary at the centre of European automotive engineering and development.
Open Access Facility
Also, for the first time, open access is available to one of the world’s most advanced driver-in-the-loop (DIL) simulators at the Bay Zoltán Research Centre. Rather than tying the facility to one specific manufacturer, the expanding ZalaZONE automotive R&D park is making the Delta series S3 simulator open access so the whole of the industry in the county can take advantage of the facility.
Alongside Bay Zoltán’s own growing number of research projects, external engineers and companies working on all aspects of motor vehicle technology now have flexible access to a high fidelity DIL simulator laboratory of a level that has previously been reserved for vehicle manufacturers and the largest Tier One suppliers. Typical projects that can make use of the facility include autonomous control and driverless vehicles, human factors and ergonomics projects, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), vehicle dynamics, motorsports, electrification and vehicle to vehicle or vehicle to infrastructure connectivity (V2X).
All of these technologies are essential elements of the vehicles of the future and Driver-in-the-Loop simulation is used across the board in their development and prototyping activities. Without access to such facilities at all levels of technology development, the progress of the local automotive industry would be severely hampered.
Currently, the automotive industry makes up approximately one fifth of Hungary’s exports and around eight per cent of its economic output with Bay Zoltán set to provide a crucial hub for the development and validation of cutting-edge automotive technology in the region. Located close to the Austrian, Slovenian and Croatian borders, it offers a convenient venue that also comprises a world-class proving ground that is attracting many European automotive manufacturers and suppliers. Hungarian Minister of Technology and Industry László Palkovics has stated it is aiming for all German premium manufacturers to be developing their vehicles in Hungary by 2030.
Delta S3 Simulator
Ansible Motion’s Delta series S3 simulator features an open and modular architecture which is software agnostic, allowing it to operate seamlessly with virtually every automotive software package a customer would need such as Hexagon VTD (environment and traffic scenarios), Cosworth Pi Toolbox (telemetry and data analysis), AVL VSM (vehicle modelling) and AVL Model.CONNECT (model integration and co-simulation). Project partner, AVL, provided key engineering services and software stacks that will directly support use cases ranging from ADAS and autonomous developments to high performance vehicle dynamics and chassis development work.
The infrastructure at Bay Zoltán will enable vehicle modelling, scenario generation and environment simulation for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and motorsport applications, with options for customers to have bespoke cabins for a fully immersive experience. Now operational, the first projects include autonomous driving and ADAS developments.
According to Bay Zoltán site manager Márk Lelkes, the automotive industry is advancing rapidly towards a digital transformation, having full systems designed and validated in simulated environments.
“To promote digital twin development and complement our existing experience at Bay Zoltán, we invested in this highly sophisticated DIL simulator. For both our current and future requirements and the stringent demands of our customers, Ansible Motion’s Delta series S3 simulator was the perfect match.”
Launched in 2022, the Delta series S3 is Ansible Motion’s most sophisticated, high-performance, dynamic motion driving simulator for both road and motorsport applications. The appeal of a fully integrated virtual environment that provides everything needed to convincingly engage real people with the automotive product development process has led multiple OEMs, Tier Ones and research organisations to acquire Delta series S3 DIL simulators, making it Ansible Motion’s most successful product to date.
Kia Cammaerts, technical director and founder of Ansible Motion says that the Bay Zoltán Research Centre can be viewed as a gateway to virtual product development that is able to bring versatility and performance to key sectors of the automotive industry in Hungary.
“Staffed by a knowledgeable and experienced team, Bay Zoltán’s facility delivers flexible, turnkey access to world-leading simulation tools that is drawing interest from Europe and beyond. It’s a privilege to be involved with this truly world-class centre for automotive development,” says Cammaerts.
ZalaZONE Automotive Proving Ground
The ZalaZONE test house and proving ground, which is home to the new Delta S3 DIL Simulator, is an automotive research, development and test centre of global significance.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the UN Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, were amongst the attendees of the opening of the latest phase of the centre during last year.
With the first phase of the proving ground having been opened in 2019, phase 2 quickly followed with its hand-over taking place just last year. For the second phase, additional track elements were developed and existing modules were expanded. The ADAS test surface, the Smart City Zone facades, the Low-speed handling course, the Noise measurement surface and Slopes were all included and are now commissioned.
The fourteen track modules of the ZalaZONE test track not only allows the execution of conventional vehicle dynamics tests, but also the validation of autonomous vehicles as well as automated, connected and electric vehicles.
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