2020 Automotive Awards

Global Automotive Awards 2020 19 Around the world, there are advancements being made every single day with regards to vehicles and the automotive industry as a whole. Whether it be refining a process to achieve higher efficiency, or working on the next algorithm for object detection, the world of automotive never stops innovating. That is certainly the case at gofficient, a start-up that was founded in 2007 out of RWTH Aachen University, the largest technical university in Germany. Find out more about this highly innovative start-up, and what it now offers to the automotive industry after years of establishment. From the outset of its inception, the original focus on gofficient was the development and application of software tools for petrol engine development and calibration, as well as engineering services around the internal combustion engines. The start of the firm was also a time where gofficient had a strong focus on the development of advanced thermodynamics such as waste heat recovery, especially from combustion engines, and the design improvements that could be made to the engine itself. As though that weren’t enough, the firm had a further main proficiency in working with the calibration of internal combustion engines and the development of functional software. Thermodynamics and internal engine combustion has long gone hand in hand, and it is gofficient’s understanding of this synergy that differentiates it from its peers and competitors in the industry. Particularly regarding the firm’s work on engine thermodynamics, gofficient developed a couple of ground-breaking new engine and waste heat recovery concepts on its own. When partnering with its clients and customers, the firm ensures that they get access to the technologies that have come about as a direct result of those concepts. Access to these technologies includes simulation results, and gofficient then adapts them to the client’s demands and requirements. One of the firm’s latest concepts that is truly innovative and ground-breaking is that of steam direct injection. In this instance, high pressure steam is generated by the heat of the exhaust gas before being injected into the main engine. The key benefit of this concept is that no additional expansion device is necessary. Thus, the system is very compact and it is capable of being integrated into all manner of vehicles, improving fuel efficiency by up to fourteen percent. Of course, with any industry, there is going to be challenges and hardships to face. The engineering service market, especially for main Best Petrol EngineTechnology Development Company – Germany & Automotive R&D Innovation Award 2020 Jan21379 engine thermodynamics and calibration, is almost a closed shop situation where three big players operate: FEV, AVL, and IAV. Although the market is in a state of growth, the competition is relatively hard and the margins are not high. As such, a small player such as gofficient can only survive with personal recommendations. Luckily, one of the aforementioned big three players is a customer of gofficient, and that can help spread the word of its outstanding quality. As well as the industry, gofficient has also had to contend with the movement of the industry away from combustion engines to battery-powered electric vehicles. This change has forced many customers to rethink their strategy and put all energy towards battery development. Looking to the future, there are a great many plans in place for gofficient to continue its growth and ambition. Besides the ever-growing list of concepts and ideas that the firm is working on, there are also a couple of ideas around driving assistance systems and image processing for autonomous driving. However, there is a sense at gofficient that typical engine combustion systems will have another renaissance. It is sure that it will be able to convince customers that there is still a lot of efficiency potential in the internal combustion engine, especially the steam-based direct injection method that gofficient has pioneered. Ultimately, this is a firm on the cutting-edge of what vehicles can do and what they are being prepared for. Efficiency is incredibly important, as the world’s agenda is focused more and more on environmental sustainability. Now is the time for gofficient to seize the day and achieve even greater things. Company: gofficient UG Contact: Andreas Gotter Website: www.gofficient.net