Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV), a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has launched a mechatronics lab at its manufacturing complex in Oragadam, Tamil Nadu. This facility is designed to accelerate product innovation, and improve the efficiency of software architecture verification and validation in vehicles. This would result in anticipated cost savings of 70-80 percent compared to traditional methods.

The lab’s infrastructure includes a flashing station for pre-production verification of all ECUs, error minimising and reducing the need for re-releases. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) set-up allows real-world driving data to be replicated in the lab, facilitating initial software adjustments and reducing the dependency on vehicles, thus saving time and cost.

It integrates advanced safety features such as autonomous emergency braking system (AEBS), blind spot assist, and lane departure warning systems. Additionally, the lab enables safe verification of driver state monitoring (DSM), and further, it can verify and validate around 300 features, processing over a thousand signals within just 10 days. It can also assess 600 fault codes in a developing product within a few weeks.

The new lab marks a pivotal shift in the company's R&D operations, and would serve as a hub for innovation, offering an advantage on the global stage, while reinforcing commitment to 'Make and Develop in India, for India and the World,’ as it sets out to meet domestic demands and create new international benchmarks.