The machine will benefit the research center’s growing number of research projects. But it will also be available for external engineers and companies working on autonomous driving, human factors, driver assistance, vehicle dynamics, so-called vehicle-to-everything (V2X) projects, and electrification technologies.

The high-fidelity DIL simulator laboratory is of a level that has previously been the sole preserve of vehicle manufacturers and the largest Tier 1 suppliers. It will enable vehicle modeling, scenario generation, and environment simulation for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and motorsport applications, with options for customers to have bespoke cabins for a fully immersive experience.

The simulator will further enhance the role of both the research center and ZalaZone, already key contributors to Hungary’s automotive industry, which makes up some one-fifth of the country’s exports. Thanks to its location and relative proximity to the Austria, Slovenian, and Croatian borders, ZalaZone says it offers a convenient venue that includes a world-class proving ground that is attracting many European automotive manufacturers and suppliers.

“The automotive industry is advancing rapidly towards a digital transformation, having full systems designed and validated in simulated environments,” says site manager Márk Lelkes. “To promote digital twin development and complement our existing experience at Bay Zoltán, we invested in this highly sophisticated DIL simulator. For both our current and future requirements and the stringent demands of our customers, Ansible Motion’s Delta series S3 simulator was the perfect match.”

Launched in 2022, Ansible Motion says the Delta series S3 is the most sophisticated, high-performance, dynamic motion driving simulator for both road and motorsport applications. The appeal of a fully integrated virtual environment that provides everything needed to engage real people convincingly with the automotive product development process has led multiple OEMs, Tier 1s, and research organizations to acquire these simulators, making it Ansible Motion’s most successful product to date.

“Bay Zoltán Research Center is a gateway to virtual product development, and it brings versatility and performance to key sectors of the automotive industry,” says Kia Cammaerts, technical director and founder of Ansible Motion.

“Staffed by a knowledgeable and experienced team, Bay Zoltán’s facility delivers flexible, turnkey access to world-leading simulation tools that are drawing interest from Europe and beyond. It’s a privilege to be involved with this truly world-class center for automotive development.”

The Delta series S3 simulator features an open and modular architecture that is software agnostic, allowing it to operate seamlessly with virtually every automotive software package a customer would need. Examples include Hexagon VTD (for environment and traffic scenarios), Cosworth Pi Toolbox (for telemetry and data analysis), AVL VSM (vehicle modeling), and AVL Model.Connect (model integration and co-simulation).

Project partner AVL provided vital engineering services and software stacks that directly support use cases ranging from advanced driver-assistance systems and autonomous developments to high-performance vehicle dynamics and chassis development work. Projects from these fields have already been tested at the facility, which is now operational.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of January 27, 2023.