Cost Optimization of Product Families Using Solution Spaces: Application to Early-Stage Electric Vehicle Design

DS 116: Proceedings of the DESIGN2022 17th International Design Conference

Year: 2022
Editor: Mario Štorga, Stanko Škec, Tomislav Martinec, Dorian Marjanović
Author: Sebastian R
Series: DESIGN
Institution: 1: Technical University of Munich, Germany; 2: DeepDrive GmbH, Germany
Section: Design Support Tools and Methods
Page(s): 583-592
DOI number: https://doi.org/10.1017/pds.2022.60
ISSN: 2732-527X (Online)

Abstract

Companies offer products in different variants to reach more customers. This increases internal variety and cost. However, reducing those cost is difficult due to complexity. Complexity arises from: combinatorics; many design variables interacting with each other; coupling of technical and economical perspectives. This paper presents an approach based on (1) building a complex system model of modular models; (2) identifying the potential for standardization from a technical perspective; (3) cost-optimizing the degree of standardization. A product family of electric vehicles was optimized.

Keywords: product families, optimisation, complexity, solution space engineering, data-driven design