David Fidalgo - Business Manager
David Fidalgo is a Business Manager at Altran Technologies UK. He received his MSc in Automotive Product Development from Cranfield University in 2006. He started his career working in Product Development as part of the Process Improvement Team within the PLM research area in the Automotive sector. He then shifted to Design and Development of Hybrid Technologies for a luxury car OEM.
David joined Altran in 2009 as a Lead Consultant and is now working as a Business Manager in the Automotive and Renewable sector.
Electric and Hybrid Technologies in the UK Automotive Industry
What are the current challenges in the UK automotive industry?
The two key challenges the UK market currently faces are the new EU emission regulations, coupled with local government incentives to move from the traditional internal combustion engine to electric and hybrid technologies. This shift to electric powertrains will change the approach of our clients, so that they are able to implement and apply such technologies from the development phases through to the production level.
Where can Altran contribute to the development of the hybrid and electrical vehicle technologies?
Altran has produced solutions to deliver these complex systems into production at all stages of the development cycle. For example:
- Systems Engineering: A robust system engineering process to develop hybrid and electric vehicles reduces the development time of these vehicles, creating a sound foundation to the way such technologies are developed and implemented, and hence contributing to a safer and more reliable product in the market place
- Software Validation (Hardware in the Loop): A real time simulation environment reduces the developing time of the Software required in these vehicles and hence provides a good platform to validate the overall system integration of the electrical and hybrid vehicles
- Project Management: Project management focused on the integration of complex electric systems into production allows the client to focus on the technical integration tasks, whilst Altran consultant teams make sure the project adheres to gateways and milestone, following any established Client-based systems engineering delivery process.
How do you think Systems Engineering processes and tools can help the automotive industries in the integration of hybrid technologies?
Historically the development phases of the automotive industry are mainly focused on the mechanical parts and not on electronics and high voltage. With the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles, the development process will require a multidisciplinary approach where mechanical, electrical and high voltage requirements are all combined.
The current development processes that the automotive manufacturers use, do not consider such implications due to the relative novelty of these technologies, which results in the development and the prototype phases becoming overly complicated to implement, and hence adding expensive project delays. A robust systems engineering process for the hybrid and electric vehicle will alleviate, and in some cases resolve, some of these issues.
What experience does Altran have in these areas?
Altran has been working in the development of different hybrid architectures in UK and Europe since the technology first surfaced.
The experience gained with these projects give Altran an unparalleled understanding of the challenge that the OEMs face and enables us to share the know-how of being an integrator of these critical technologies.
How does the Altran business model help the client to develop and deliver their products?
Altran have several business models depending on the technical complexity of the task, and the preferred method of intervention as dictated by the client. This flexibility to meet such customer requirements gives the client the option to tailor the best solution to their needs.
