Elenica

Newspaper Article (Translated) : 2016,  February 16 : 
  

Parametric Chassis and Suspension Module Technology : The vision of Dr. Dimitrios Hatzikakidis and his associates, who aspire to change things in the auto industry, takes shape through the first high-end application, which has been introduced as the “Modular sports car concept”.   


This first application of their innovative design model for cars, applicable to various categories, presented by Hatzikakidis and his team, has had repercussions in Europe, America and Asia.   

The high-end sports car application : “Elenica”, is the “flagship” of the on-going projects, puts on the map all the advantages of the technology and the resulting new design methods. This opens the way for the ground-breaking, game-changing changes in the manufacture of electric/hybrid vehicles, conventional low-cost cars, high performance sports cars (expensive prototypes) and military vehicles, all utilizing the “parametric chassis recipe”.   


"Elenica" is now being developed in Switzerland and in England and it will be ready for presentation in a few months. It is equipped with a series of original features that appear for the first time in the world car industry and are based on the parametric chassis/suspension module and other innovative technologies” says Hatzikakidis. Elenica incorporates patented aerodynamic technology, the new flashing/trafficator light cluster on the rear-view mirror, (an evolution of the original, designed by Hatzikakidis, 30 years ago at Mercedes) and other innovative design solutions. “Our plan is based on a technological and financial analysis that fully covers the spectrum of design/development/manufacturing for electric/hybrid, conventional, sports and military vehicles” he adds.       

R&D Jobs Apart from the (apparent) technological advantages, the new design method addresses many of the challenges the world car industry is faced with and can cope in the years to come, as it creates a new market, (that of the “suspension module and the parametric chassis”). This contribution could play a pivotal role in research and development (R&D), creating jobs for engineers and scientists, as the technology may “unlock” thousands of posts in a Europe faced with depression and high unemployment.     

The parametric chassis technology promises wealth creation for countries involved in the process of car design/development/manufacturing, slashing the manufacturing cost and helping companies overcome a series of red tape and technical-financial impediments. It is no coincidence that the major car industry players (multinationals, OEMs, design-houses, international research and industrial applications agencies) are following every step of Hatzikakidis and his team, who have managed recently to secure new patents and develop new prototypes, despite the … trip ups attempted by certain OEMs (attempting to copy patents and design solutions), in order to reap some benefits from the development of this new technology. Influential figures in the industry admit however, that attempts of this kind are “at-the-end-of-the-day counter-productive”, since one of the major advantages of the “parametric chassis and the suspension module technology” is that it has the ability to evolve continually into many directions, creating new technological sectors and markets. It seems unavoidable, therefore, that the big companies will eventually cooperate with the Hatzikakidis team, to the benefit of the global car market, which swirls in the spin of economic crisis and stagnating technology.   

"We can keep creating new applications and dozens of new patent-trees on the technology we have created. It would, therefore, be to the OEMs’ advantage to cooperate with us, instead of striving to benefit from our technology, without us. Further, we have in our hands a technology that allows us to simplify the production process by keeping certain sections of high precision and low tolerance, manufactured in Europe and completing final assembly overseas, where the manufacturing cost is lower. For instance, the suspension module could be made in Europe and be sent for final assembly to Asia or Africa. Keeping the industrial production in Europe is something the European politicians and industrialists were unable to implement in the recent decades, as part manufacturing in Asian countries was the only choice, given that all existing traditional technologies have “reached total depreciation” and the only criterion is “a low industrial cost”. With new technologies, of the type we are creating, the end benefits of 1 less weight, 2 better performance and 3 cost-effective upgradeability potential are accomplished “by design”, thanks to the new, innovative, original design of the product and the procedures developed” explains Dr Hatzikakidis.   

Suspension modules and chassis give a car game-changing advantages.   

The parametric chassis and the suspension module technology, that focuses on the original design and frees the external styling, is based on an initial simple array of suspension and chassis that offers a vehicle flexibility, comfort and quality characteristics of much more expensive cars. Instead of the four conventional suspensions in use today, we fit four times, at the chassis corners, the same (fully adjustable) suspension module, thus, creating the parametric chassis. In the case of electric/hybrid vehicles the suspension module is also equipped with an electric motor, while the usually heavy and bulky batteries are accommodated at centre of the chassis. In this way we make an original chassis that endows the car with improved structural rigidity, crash characteristics and reduces its overall weight impressively. “The chassis may be built much lighter, with optimal separation of subsystems (e.g. control collapse zones). The parametric chassis technology introduces us also to the innovation of the “complementary self carrying body”, as it has been patented by us, in Japan in 2015, which allows the building of a car 250 kg lighter” explains Dimitrios  Hatzikakidis.     


 Seven road-going prototypes are now being developed and tested :   

The suspension module is adjustable with upgradeability options into three levels : “Functions at the visco-elastic level, is upgraded to an electromechanical system and reaches an electromagnetic suspension/harvesting array, at (comparatively) lower cost. The upgrading extends also to the active / adaptive level. We have categorized more than 50 parameters for design, evolution and industrialization, that have been thoroughly studied in the recent years” Hatzikakidis points out.   

His team, with associates in various countries, can fully cover mechanical and technological issues, to handle matters of copyright and business strategy and satisfy the trends of contemporary marketing. “We have worked out extensive business plans at four levels of application: a) intellectual property, b) limited industrial application, with manufacture of sections of our suspension modules, c) industrial application of the entire parametric chassis, d) manufacture of a complete car with our technologies. There is a wide field of implementation from conventional vehicles to electric, electric/hybrid and military vehicles. In total seven vehicles are now at the stage of testing, among them two “Modular Sports Car Concept” vehicles, that will lead us to the (super)car Elenica”.  

(Translated Newspaper Article : 2013, May 11)

Emphasis on innovation, can be used for the design of vehicles across the board,  reduces the time and cost in Design / Development, manufacturing / assembly of new models and is ready for future technologies. 


The Suspension Module and the technology of the “Parametric Chassis”, created by the mechanical-engineer, Dr Dimitrios Hatzikakidis, and his team, may change things in car Design and Manufacturing. The starting point is an (initially) simple and effective assembly, (the suspension module), that is used to make up a light and robust chassis. It involves a number of worldwide patents, dozens of filings with the international patent offices, in all the major markets. 


"The most important aspect of the invention is the design of the “chassis and the suspension as one unit”. The use of a “standardized suspension module”, placed at the four corners of the frame, in addition to “wheelbase elements”, which are cut to size in order to "build" the floor of the vehicle, decreases cost. “Vehicle manufacturers usually avoid change, due to fear. But in this case there is no risk, the financial payback is immediate ", says Professor Konstantinos Spentzas, founder of the Road Vehicle Laboratory, School of Mechanical Engineering of NTUA, who follows the evolution of this technology for over 15 years. 


“The new design method based on the technology of the “Suspension Module and the Parametric Chassis”, gives a vehicle more stability and offers features of a much more expensive car. The use of a rotational-damper, instead of a linear (reciprocating) damper, is another major innovation. The rotary application is more energy efficient, and now allows the adoption of very expensive technologies, at a lower cost. This new module can also be used in designing any traditional conventional) suspension, (such as double wishbone or multi-link), giving us the opportunity to reach out into new automotive applications, and various vehicle production processes”, says Prof. Spentzas. 


“Save energy and money by the application of a common (and fully adjustable) Suspension Module is a double mission." Dr Hatzikakidis explains, "each suspension module functions as both a “spring” and a “damper”. It is something that happens for the first time ; as until now, the two elements were separate and connected in parallel. For the last 90 years, this was done due to the respective historical origins, of the two separate components (spring, damper). In our new suspension module (and chassis), the energy accumulation /dissipation occurs at the same time, and in the same place ". 


The “Suspension Module and the Parametric Chassis technology” over the last 15
years, has prompted Dr Hatzikakidis and his colleagues to develop many novel “implementation and innovation” strategies. This technology can be applied in conventional, commercial, hybrid / electric vehicles, but also has a very important military application, in vehicles and tanks. Moreover, it creates an entirely new market in a “suspension module product”, that up until now, were just ‘spare parts’. 


"The idea of the ​​suspension module allows us to change both the design/development process of vehicles, as well as, the manufacturing/assembly processes. This prompted us to adopt completely innovative processes in strategies and tactics in Product Design, Research & Development, Intellectual Property in all the major markets worldwide. In the last few years, we had to apply innovative tactics in Research (R & D, Industrialization) for our experimental technology, while developing technology demonstrators and pre-industrial prototypes simultaneously in many markets. Also, we are creating an entirely new market for suspension modules. Our other big goal is connecting to Overall Vehicle Design and Styling, many of our key technological advantages and innovations. One such example is the application of our “Controlled Discontinuity” Design process, Hatzikakidis notes. 


The technology of the suspension modules primarily focuses on chassis and car body design, which serves as the “basis” for creating the styling of a car. At a time when traditional design - style companies fail because of the financial crisis, Dimitrios Hatzikakidis presents a completely different model for vehicle design, bringing innovation to the fore and provide a new proposal to produce products on a global scale. 

Can adapt to future applications 

The biggest advantage of this model is its ability to "keep up" with technological developments. "The Parametric Chassis “opens the door” to a new generation of technologies and can be adapted to future applications in the coming years. Making currently very expensive technologies (such as active / adaptive, variable springing / damping) much cheaper. “Exotic” future applications can be made cost-effective within our existing framework", says Dr. Hatzikakidis. It is worth noting that the new innovative method in vehicle design/assembly has already attracted the interest of two multi-nationals, several design firms, major OEMs and institutions in China and Hong Kong.