OEM & Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2019 - OEM & Supplier 2/2019 by VEK Publishing

159 all kinds, including super sports cars through to commercial vehicles, which can range all the way from vans to heavy-duty trucks and buses. We perform testing on both test sites and public streets – and internationally in a growing number of projects. Depending on the requirements, our services extend from vehicle construction, retrofitting, and camou- flage to fleet management and testing support points down to testing operation, including technical vehicle management. What locations and countries are in focus? Mario Knop: In addition to steadily growing testing and guarantee coverage in Europe, the Americas, Russia, and India, China is also in- creasingly becoming an important market for us and our customers. Supported by innova- tion-friendly policies and a high willingness to invest, new technologies are being developed at rapid speeds in China and integrated into product landscapes. Wei Zhang: Over the past 1.5 years, Formel D China has developed the vehicle testing busi- ness rapidly. Today, we have more than 250 qualified drivers with the expertise to test vehicles with traditional combustion engines as well as electric vehicles and vehicles with autonomous technologies. We are providing services for numerous Western and Chinese OEMs as well as for new technology compa- nies. Under what different conditions does Formel D carry out testing? Mario Knop: Formel D not only carries out test runs on different terrains (offroad, poor road conditions, cross-country, city, and highway testing), but also under awide range of climate conditions. In this context, Russia deserves special attention, where virtually all climate zones are represented, from arctic to conti- nental to subtropical climates, and vehicles can be tested at a temperature range from -50 °C to 30 °C. As a global company, this allows us to test vehicle functions on both test tracks and public streets under real conditions at a permanent -30 °C. One decisive criterionwhen selecting a track and location is of course the target and market group of the respective cli- ent for a specific vehicle. What challenges do you see in the years to come and how is Formel D preparing for them? Mario Knop: Besides the technologies we al- ready mentioned, Formel D also expects other types of drives to develop. Furthermore, ex- pansions to global networking are another important subject for us. We will continue working in close collaboration with our cus- tomers to optimize the link between virtual and real testing. Concerning big data, we want to find out precisely at which locations, which conditions, and with what intensity we have to carry out tests to achieve the best possible results and thus safeguard vehicles within the entire range. We want to increase efficiency further for both our customers and us and are setting the course for all of these challenges today. Image: © metamorworks - stock.adobe.com Here you can find the complete version of the interview bit.ly/2MAFlmb autoregion international vision mobility Trade magazine about the innovative power of the Greater Region, Autoregion! autoregion international vison mobility will be positioned in many different global automotive &mobility markets to show industry highlights with approach- es to solutions for a dynamic and rapidly changing market. Using selected prac- tical examples, autoregion international provides lasting insights into the perfor- mance of the regional automotive and mobility industry. In addition to current product and industry trends autoregion international presents informative and exclusive company presentations, arti- cles on sustainability, trends, strategies and innovations. Multimedia Reading Experience autoregion international vison mobility is a cross media trade magazine from the publishers of “OEM und Lieferant”. High quality print edition and an inter- active digital edition. Readers can instantly access further information on companies, products and services via hyperlinks and QR codes. autoregion international vison mobility Join us! Wilhelm-Schrohe-Str. 2 55128 Mainz, GERMANY Phone +49 611 946164-65 Mobile +49 157 50153533 Fax +49 611 946164-7765 info@klock-medienpartner.de www.oemundlieferant.de www.klock-medienpartner.de Further information: PRINT and DIGITAL: Multimedia, networked and interactive Advertisement