FlexCAR

The vision of the collaborative project FlexCAR is to transfer this development to new mobility concepts...

... by opening up the process of innovation, development, production, and distribution. Suppliers as well as new market participants such as start-ups or developer communities are invited to provide services and components for the platform operator (OEM) or directly for the end customer over the entire vehicle life cycle. For this purpose, interfaces must be defined on the hardware and software side. They must be as easy to use as possible ("plug & play"), but still meet the highest cybersecurity requirements.

Within the framework of the cyberphysical vehicle platform FlexCAR, self-reflecting, self-describing and service-oriented components are to be developed and integrated in a vehicle demonstrator.

The open platform with open interfaces is a visionary way to react to the increasingly heterogeneous and volatile requirements of the market. User requirements change in ever shorter cycles, which in turn lead to greatly shortened product and technology life cycles. This places demands on the vehicle and producers of the future that can no longer be met by conventional means.

The FlexCAR project is divided into four thematic areas

Topic Area 1 – "Rolling Chassis" develops an electrically powered and 5G controlled research platform with accessible and open software and hardware - the Rolling Chassis. The platform serves as an aggregate carrier and common base for the FlexCAR individual technologies. This is extended by a floor plate, which interfaces with the interior and is available to Topic 2 for various use cases and interior studies.

The focus of Topic Area 2 – "Interior and Cyberphysical Access" builds on the topics of topic area 1. Interior-related use cases are examined here, focusing on the areas of "Working while driving" and "Relaxing while driving". For example, if a customer books a ride via an app, this request is sent and processed via 5G. A vehicle is assigned according to the customer's requirements and the customer is given details of the time and place. The vehicle arrives at the agreed location at the agreed time and keeps a lookout for the customer. The customer can contact the vehicle via cameras facing outwards. Only authorized persons are granted access and the ride can be charged accordingly. Future interaction between passengers and autonomous vehicles is therefore also an important focus during the journey.

Topic Area 3 – "Flexible product and production concepts" is working on the FlexCAR production concept in close collaboration with the Fluid Production (FluPro) project. Drive and energy modules are to be the focus of production engineering considerations here; for example, the questions of suitable sheet metal or structural profiling within the framework of the chassis. With the help of standardized interfaces, the Rolling Chassis is part of the cyberphysical production system and can be used as a further use case during production, for example as a driverless transport system, thus replacing current transport and conveyor technology in the factory.

Topic Area 4 – "Open development process of modular vehicles" deals with the implementation of one of the essential criteria of FlexCAR: the open development process. The goal is to develop and implement open interfaces in hardware and software, which will allow new business models to be established. FlexCAR is thus much more than just a new vehicle concept. It offers a research platform for the central development and production of modular vehicle systems.