Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly transformative role in vehicle engineering, with its biggest contribution being a drastic reduction in development timelines, says John Johnston, Chief Engineer – Body Structures at Tata Technologies. At Autocar Professional's Vehicle Lightweighting Conference, Johnston said that AI can be used to standardise design processes for certain areas of the vehicle. "We can accelerate the automation of design. The predictability will improve, drop tests, dynamic tests, AI will accelerate the predictability of new materials. It'll reduce development times. That will be AI's biggest contribution,” he said.
According to him, turnaround time for developing a ground-up vehicle—which traditionally took around 4.5 years—has been compressed to just over two years. “There's less need for prototypes because of software leaps, turnaround time for ground-up vehicles which used to be 4.5 years is now down to 26 months,” he added.
EV Platforms Bringing Structural Advantages
Johnston also underlined how EV platforms are offering new efficiencies across design and manufacturing. “Platform itself for EVs is key to making a business case for a vehicle. It improves the time to market. EVs allow you to package the materials better. It gives a wide saving. One of the clear trends is that what was the front wheel drive has gone to the back. This gives a very good crash performance. This allows you to put structure in places where you couldn't before because of the engine. That's a major advantage of EVs over ICE engines,” he explained.
With EVs typically being more expensive to produce than their ICE counterparts, material efficiency has become a focal point. “The idea is to reduce both cost and the weight as EVs become more expensive. The type of materials used is highly defined by the type of materials and manufacturing processes. If it's a niche product then more exotic materials are used. Volume vehicles require high investments and more mainstream materials,” Johnston said.
He emphasized the growing role of advanced steels in achieving this balance. “Key to the volume segment is the proliferation of modern steel, advanced high strength steel. They reduce weight and can take a lot more strength,” he said.
As Tata Technologies continues to partner with global OEMs on next-gen mobility solutions, the interplay of AI, smart materials, and EV-specific platforms is clearly reshaping how vehicles are conceived, engineered, and brought to market, he added.