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  • Reference work
  • © 2021

Systems Engineering for Automotive Powertrain Development

  • Collects all aspects of systems engineering methodology
  • Provides a detailed description of a new tailored approach
  • Features a strong focus on new powertrain solutions
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Powertrain (POWERTRAIN)

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Table of contents (30 entries)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Challenges for Powertrain Development

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Challenges for Future Automotive Mobility

      • Uwe Dieter Grebe, Hannes Hick, Martin Rothbart, Rittmar von Helmolt, Eric Armengaud, Matthias Bajzek et al.
      Pages 3-30
    3. Challenges of Passenger Cars

      • Christoph Knotz, Thomas Sölkner, Johannes Wernig, Jürgen Klink, Martin Haas, Rainer Vögl et al.
      Pages 31-54
    4. Challenges of Powertrain System Diversity

      • Raimund Ellinger, Wolfgang Schöffmann
      Pages 55-75
    5. Technical Challenges in Automotive Powertrain Engineering

      • Wolfgang Schöffmann, Markus Brillinger, Martin Ratasich, Inigo Garcia de Madinabeitia Merino, Markus Bachinger, Muammer Yolga et al.
      Pages 77-103
    6. Organizational Challenges in Automotive Development

      • Verena Isabelle Kreuzer, Markus Tomaschitz
      Pages 123-146
  3. Systems Engineering

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147
    2. Systems Engineering Principles

      • Matthias Bajzek, Johannes Fritz, Hannes Hick
      Pages 149-194
    3. Model Based Systems Engineering Concepts

      • Matthias Bajzek, Johannes Fritz, Hannes Hick, Michael Maletz, Clemens Faustmann, Gerald Stieglbauer
      Pages 195-234
    4. Systems Engineering Processes

      • Matthias Bajzek, Johannes Fritz, Hannes Hick
      Pages 235-269
    5. Systems Engineering Methods and Tools

      • Johannes Fritz, Christian Zingel, Juha Kokko, Giulia Lenardon, Bernd Brier
      Pages 271-302
    6. Systems Engineering Organizational Constraints and Responsibilities

      • Robert Fischer, Stefan Vorbach, Hannes Hick, Matthias Bajzek
      Pages 303-325
    7. Decision-Making and the Influence of the Human Factor

      • Hannes Hick, Hans-Ferdinand Angel, Philipp Kranabitl, Jolana Wagner-Skacel
      Pages 355-380
  4. Automotive Powertrain Systems Engineering Approach

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 381-381
    2. Automotive Powertrain Development Process

      • Philipp Kranabitl, Matthias Bajzek, Martin Atzwanger, Dorith Schenk, Hannes Hick
      Pages 383-402
    3. Systems Engineering Methods for Automotive Powertrain Development

      • Michael Maletz, Matthias Bajzek, Hannes Hick
      Pages 403-441
    4. Product Lifecycle Management in Automotive Industry

      • Klaus Zamazal, Andrea Denger
      Pages 443-469

About this book

For the last century, the automotive industry has been dominated by internal combustion engines. Their flexibility of application, driving range, performance and sporty characteristics has resulted in several generations of this technology and has formed generations of engineers. But that is not the end of the story. Stricter legislation and increased environmental awareness have resulted in the development of new powertrain technologies in addition and parallel to the highly optimized internal combustion engine. Hybrid powertrains systems, pure battery electric systems and fuel cell systems, in conjunction with a diverse range of applications, have increased the spectrum of powertrain technologies. Furthermore, automated driving together with intelligent and highly connected systems are changing the way to get from A to B. Not only is the interaction of all these new technologies challenging, but also several different disciplines have to collaborate intensively in order for new powertrain systems to be successfully developed. These new technologies and the resulting challenges lead to an increase in system complexity. Approaches such as systems engineering are necessary to manage this complexity.

To show how systems engineering manages the increasing complexity of modern powertrain systems, by providing processes, methods, organizational aspects and tools, this book has been structured into five parts.

Starting with Challenges for Powertrain Development, which describes automotive-related challenges at different levels of the system hierarchy and from different point of views.

The book then continues with the core part, Systems Engineering, in which all the basics of systems engineering, model-based systems engineering, and their related processes, methods, tools, and organizational matters are described. A special focus is placed on important standards and the human factor.

The third part, Automotive Powertrain Systems Engineering Approach, puts the fundamentals of systems engineering into practice by adding the automotive context. This part focuses on system development and also considers the interactions to hardware and software development. Several approaches and methods are presented based on systems engineering philosophy.

Part four, Powertrain Development Case Studies, adds the practical point of view by providing a range of case studies on powertrain system level and on powertrain element level and discusses the development of hybrid powertrain, internal combustion engines, e-drives, transmissions, batteries and fuel cell systems. Two case studies on a vehicle level are also presented.

The final part, Outlook, considers the development of systems engineering itself with particular focus on information communication technologies.

Even though this book covers systems engineering from an automotive perspective, many of the challenges, fundamental principles, conclusions and outlooks can be applied to other domains too. Therefore, this book is not only relevant for automotive engineers and students, but also for specialists in scientific and industrial positions in other domains and anyone who has to cope with the challenge of successfully developing complex systems with a large number of collaborating disciplines.


Editors and Affiliations

  • Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria

    Hannes Hick

  • AVL List GmbH, Graz, Austria

    Klaus Küpper

  • AVL LIST GmbH, Graz, Austria

    Helfried Sorger

About the editors

Hannes Hick studied mechanical engineering at the Vienna University of Technology with a special focus on mobility systems. He obtained his doctorate in material science during a research assistantship with a thesis on fracture mechanics at the Institute for Material Science and Testing, Vienna University of Technology. Prof. Hick started his industrial career as a designer of powertrain systems in the German Industry and joined AVL Powertrain Engineering in 1997, where he held a range of positions such as head of mechanical development and head of methodology for powertrain system development. Since 2015, Prof. Hick has been full professor and head of the Institute of Machine Components and Methods of Development at Graz University of Technology, and head of the AVL TU Graz Transmission Center.

Klaus Küpper studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Darmstadt and at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. After a scientific assistantship, he received a Ph.D. from Gerhard-Mercator University in Duisburg in the area of control theory, focusing on neural networks and fuzzy logic. Dr. Küpper started his professional career at LuK in Bühl in 1995, holding several positions, finally as a department manager for software and function development for transmission automation. In 2007, he joined AVL Powertrain Engineering in Graz as head of software development, and since 2014, he has held the position of executive chief engineer, where he is globally responsible for electrified powertrains, software, and transmissions.


Helfried Sorger studied mechanical engineering and business at Graz University of Technology. He joined AVL Powertrain Engineering in Graz in 1996 and held positions of designer, project manager, and skill team leader for the volume production design of passenger car engines before being promoted in 2004 to head of design with global responsibility. He received a Ph.D. from the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics, Graz University of Technology, focusing on a unique design methodology for internal combustion engines. Since 2010, Dr. Sorger has held the position of executive chief engineer for base powertrain development and is globally responsible for the areas of design, simulation, mechanical development, product quality, and production engineering as well as simultaneous engineering approaches.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Systems Engineering for Automotive Powertrain Development

  • Editors: Hannes Hick, Klaus Küpper, Helfried Sorger

  • Series Title: Powertrain

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99629-5

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Engineering, Reference Module Computer Science and Engineering

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-99628-8Published: 25 February 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-99629-5Published: 24 February 2021

  • Series ISSN: 1613-6349

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 895

  • Number of Illustrations: 30 b/w illustrations, 380 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Automotive Engineering, Control, Robotics, Mechatronics