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Powered by General Motors’ Ultium Platform, the recently unveiled Cadillac LYRIQ not only signals the dawn of a new electric vehicle era for the brand—it represents a fundamental transformation of GM’s global product development process, according to a press release about the launch. The official unveiling in early May of Cadillac’s first all-electric SUV was nine months ahead of schedule, a timeline accelerated by a process of virtual testing and validation.
Boasting a combination of the latest automotive technology, premium craftsmanship and a meticulous level of intricacy throughout its design, the LYRIQ sets a new standard for the luxury EV landscape and plays a pivotal role in GM’s vision of zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion.
Its accelerated path was the result of an ongoing commitment to evolve GM’s global product development processes through the innovative use of cutting-edge virtual engineering tools.
As demonstrated by LYRIQ, the process of virtual design, development and validation has a profound impact on the overall efficiency of GM vehicle programs. Implementing the tools early in the development process allows teams to optimize a vehicle’s design, quality and performance within the confines of a digital environment, enabling GM to rapidly accelerate product development cycles while reducing engineering costs by $1.5 billion per year.
The results are augmented when the VDDV process is paired with the powerful Ultium Platform, the heart of GM’s EV strategy. The modular nature of Ultium allows it to be easily adapted from one vehicle model to another, meaning the learnings from one program can accelerate the development of others in the EV portfolio.
Several elements of the LYRIQ program were enhanced as a direct result of extensive virtual development and validation, including:
- Cabin comfort for all passengers in cold and hot environments
- Advanced aerodynamics to help maximize range and on-road performance
- Aeroacoustics and active road noise cancellation for a more enjoyable ride
- Driver assistance and active safety features for peace of mind
- Protection of the Ultium battery in a wide variety of collision scenarios
“While GM has been developing great products for more than 100 years, virtual engineering has allowed us to visualize aspects of our designs that have not been previously observable with conventional vehicle testing. This is one of many inherent strengths of virtual engineering that we’ve capitalized on to completely reimagine how we create and develop future mobility products like the Cadillac LYRIQ,” explained Mike Anderson, GM executive director of Virtual Design, Development and Validation. “This new approach certainly achieved our initial goal of drastically reducing our engineering spend on expensive prototypes, but, more importantly, has enabled us to run faster than ever before, and deliver better quality on our first production vehicle builds.”
Variation in manufacturing, customer usage, physics, and even the design process itself is a longstanding challenge when innovating and developing complex machines like those of future mobility. Through virtual development, the team was able to test thousands of designs through multiple scenarios to address the many forms of variation, allowing the first drivable LYRIQ prototypes to be produced with a single optimized design.
“Now that we’ve moved to the next phase of development, the initial quality of our pre-production test vehicles is some of the best that I’ve ever seen,” said Jamie Brewer, LYRIQ chief engineer. “During early test drives, I’ve been impressed with the ride, handling and overall performance of the vehicle at this stage of development.”
With the accelerated timeline, LYRIQ is expected to go into production in the first quarter of 2022.
Reservations for LYRIQ will be available beginning September 2021 with initial availability starting the first half of 2022.
Visit cadillac.com for more information.
[05.21.21]
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Motor Coach Industries (MCI) has unveiled the new zero-emission, battery-electric J4500 CHARGE coach. The J4500 CHARGE—a zero-emission version of the industry’s best-selling J series tour and charter luxury coaches—leverages EV technology from New Flyer and delivers over 200 miles of range, while also delivering enhanced safety features.
“NFI has pushed EV and automated innovation forward, and today we achieve another milestone in our technology roadmap through the launch of MCI’s first battery-electric luxury coach,” said NFI President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Soubry. “With the unveiling, MCI further expands NFI’s market-leading portfolio of zero-emission vehicles and continues our ability to lead the ZEvolution.”
MCI’s J4500 CHARGE incorporates advanced technology to power its high performance, including optimized battery placement for weight distribution and handling; enhanced regeneration for energy recovery and greater efficiency; exceptional torque and gradeability for smoother, more powerful operation; and next generation, ethically sourced, high-energy batteries that deliver over 200 miles of range.
The new J4500 CHARGE™ is perfectly suited for use by tour and charter, employee shuttle, and executive coach operators looking to lower their emissions and total operating costs while maintaining the luxury and passenger experience that has defined MCI for decades.
“Our J4500 CHARGE was made for high performance through unmatched design, with each detail developed to provide an exceptional passenger experience while supporting zero-emission travel with clean, safe, reliable mobility,” said NFI North America Bus and Coach President Chris Stoddart. “With fully customizable interiors, the industry’s best warranty coverage, and expert infrastructure support offered through NFI’s Infrastructure Solutions team, the J4500 CHARGE is leading the next generation of travel.”
The J4500 CHARGE features brighter, more spacious interiors with industry-leading legroom. Parts support is provided by NFI subsidiary NFI Parts, North America’s largest parts supplier, with training offered by the industry’s only ASE-accredited training center, MCI Academy. Further training and workforce development support is provided through NFI’s Vehicle Innovation Center (VIC), North America’s first and only innovation lab dedicated to the advancement of bus technology. The VIC now offers detailed virtual sessions to allow operators and drivers to increase their EV and AV training.
“We successfully completed prototype testing of our J4500 CHARGE in 2018, and since then have continued rigorous field testing of MCI’s battery-electric performance to prove operation through virtually any condition,” said MCI Vice President of Private Sector Sales and Marketing Brent Maitland. “And, not only do our EVs include the industry’s best warranty at 30 months, they are supported by NFI’s field tech army—North America’s most extensive bus and coach service and support network – with 24/7 roadside assistance to support operators any time of day.”
New Flyer and MCI will deliver J4500 CHARGE electric coach training through a no-cost virtual session hosted July 7, 2021, through the VIC.
Visit mcicoach.com for more information.
[05.24.21]
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National Limousine Association (NLA) officially launched its new campaign called On the Road Again last week to spur the return of travel, especially business travel. NLA President Robert Alexander kicked off the campaign via Facebook Live, which is available here, and the toolkit is ready here. (Note that the campaign is open to NLA members only.)
Designed to allow NLA members to promote their businesses’ high levels of quality, safety, and service provided every day, the campaign offers a free customizable video and supporting material and information on digital and social media marketing, media outreach, and much more.
During the livestream, Bill Faeth of Limo University issued his own challenge to NLA members to customize the NLA-provided video and spend $1 per day for 21 days to advertise to their targeted market on Facebook. The more members who participate, the more visibility the video will get for the campaign, which will hopefully lead to more travel.
Alexander recognized the efforts of the NLA's Public Relations Committee, EVINS Communications, Chris Wharton, and Bill Faeth who made this campaign a reality.
All of the details on the campaign are available on the NLA’s website under the “resources” tab, and any questions can be sent to info@limo.org.
The NLA’s Women’s Leadership Council also announced that the next webinar in its series will be Structure Your HR and Handbook for Success, which will be held on May 25 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The speakers for this session, including Amy Cooley of LMC People, Douglas Rowe of law firm Certiman Balin Adler & Hyman, and Karen Hoban and Alex Jokich of Paychex, will cover the updates that all companies need to navigate COVID-related changes in staffing, creating policies, and more. The session is free for all NLA members; non-members can join for $25. Click here for more information.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[05.18.21]