The interview with Steffen Schmidt, President and CEO of IPG Automotive, on the occasion of the company’s 40th anniversary, sheds light on the challenges facing the automotive industry in the face of increasing complexity due to the growing proportion of software in vehicles. Schmidt emphasizes the importance of virtual test driving and simulation technology for the development and validation of modern vehicles, for example for SDVs, the verification of functional safety or NCAP tests. He also explains how he sees the future of the now indispensable virtual test drive and how simulation can be experienced with the vehicle-in-the-loop method.
Another focus of the interview is the new product VIRTO (Virtual Vehicle Development Tool Suite), which IPG Automotive has developed. It is a scalable and user-friendly simulation solution that ensures the traceability of development and test processes and makes the simulation accessible to everyone involved – including non-simulation experts. Schmidt describes the software as „revolutionary“, as it significantly simplifies simulation processes while allowing users to immerse themselves in vehicle development. Schmidt sees the future in stronger frontloading, which means that tests and validations are carried out in the early phases of the development process. This allows potential problems to be identified and rectified at an early stage, which increases the overall efficiency and quality of development. (oe)
