Scania Develops Fuel-Saving Driver Support System with MathWorks Tools for Model-Based Design

Completes system development – from modeling and design to verification -- six months earlier than projected by using MATLAB and Simulink

NATICK, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- MathWorks today announced that Scania, a leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, coaches, and industrial and marine engines, has developed a fuel-saving driver support system using MathWorks tools – including MATLAB and Simulink – for Model-Based Design. Employing Model-Based Design helped Scania complete development ahead of schedule. Since its debut in September 2009, the system has improved driving techniques, leading to safer driving, less wear and tear on brakes and other parts, and lower fuel consumption.

The Scania Driver Support display panel (Photo: Business Wire)

Inefficient driving techniques can increase carbon emissions and raise fuel consumption by as much as 10%. To address this, Scania developed a real-time driver analysis system that provides truck drivers with immediate feedback on their driving techniques. To keep development costs down, Scania engineers used MATLAB, Simulink, MATLAB Compiler, and Real-Time Workshop Embedded Coder to model and simulate the driver support system, develop a prototype user interface, and generate embedded code for prototype and production targets. The resulting system provides immediate feedback to drivers.

“Simulink helped us try new ideas and visualize their impact,” said Jonny Andersson, development engineer at Scania. “After generating code and conducting in-vehicle tests, we ran multiple simulations, refined the design, and regenerated code for the next iteration. This rapid prototyping and code reuse helped create the world’s first driver coaching system for trucks that offers real time feedback based on actual driving scenarios ranging from brake usage to choice of gears. When compared with hand-coding, MathWorks tools enabled us to complete the project at least six months earlier. Without these tools we probably would have had to add another engineer to the project, but instead we could focus on algorithm design at a higher level.”

MathWorks tools helped reduce development time, enabled early verification of the design on the actual ECU, and helped Scania develop and evaluate different designs for the driver display panel. As a result, the ECU, currently deployed on Scania R-Series trucks, provides continuous and proactive assessments of driver performance. A message appears after an event and disappears after a few seconds. Scania R-Series trucks received the 2010 International Truck of the Year award. The jury described the Scania Driver Support system as “an innovative learning tool capable of providing a continuous and proactive assessment of a driver out on the road.”

“Given Scania’s focus on e-Mobility, the driver support output display had to provide immediate feedback to help engage better driving techniques,” said Jon Friedman, automotive industry marketing manager at MathWorks. “Model-Based Design helped Scania innovate energy efficient design quickly and cost-effectively, using simulation and code generation to reduce the number of road tests and prototypes.”

About Scania

Scania is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks and buses for heavy transport applications, and of industrial and marine engines. A growing proportion of the company’s operations consist of products and services in the financial and service sectors, assuring Scania customers of cost-effective transport solutions and maximum uptime. Employing 32,000 people, Scania operates in about 100 countries. Research and development activities are concentrated in Sweden, while production takes place in Europe and South America, with facilities for global interchange of both components and complete vehicles. In 2009, invoiced sales totaled SEK 62 billion and net income amounted to SEK 1.1 billion. Scania press releases are available at www.scania.com.

About MathWorks

MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software. MATLAB, the language of technical computing, is a programming environment for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and numeric computation. Simulink is a graphical environment for simulation and Model-Based Design of multidomain dynamic and embedded systems. Engineers and scientists worldwide rely on these product families to accelerate the pace of discovery, innovation, and development in automotive, aerospace, electronics, financial services, biotech-pharmaceutical, and other industries. MathWorks products are also fundamental teaching and research tools in the world’s universities and learning institutions. Founded in 1984, MathWorks employs more than 2200 people in 15 countries, with headquarters in Natick, Massachusetts, USA.

For additional information, visit www.mathworks.com.

MATLAB and Simulink are registered trademarks of The MathWorks, Inc. See www.mathworks.com/trademarks for a list of additional trademarks. Other product or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

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