Q-Truck successfully passed 36 different extreme and fatigue tests
Recently, Q-Truck, an autonomous driving heavy-duty truck developed by Westwell, has successfully passed the CAE assessment for vehicle chassis frame strength and durability. This assessment was supported by Ricardo, an internationally recognized engineering organization. The assessment concluded that the Q-Truck chassis frame structure fully complies with the safety targets for various working conditions in complex port scenarios. The Q-Truck Chassis frame excels in safety, reliability, and durability, making it a preferred choice for customers seeking intelligent transformation in large logistics.
Authoritatively recognised for superior performance
Screening for more trustworthy intelligent partners for the sustainable transformation of large logistics. Westwell, the global leader in driverless field, and Ricardo, a global engineering organisation, have conducted an all-round on-site inspection and CAE assessment on the safety, strength and durability of the chassis of Westwell’s self-developed autonomous driving heavy-duty truck, the Q-Truck.
The assessment was organized by Ricardo’s UK head office, which tailored a rigorous CAE assessment program specifically for the Q-Truck using its advanced testing technology and equipment. Following a professional evaluation by Ricardo’s global experts involving real-life scenarios and 36 types of simulation verification, the assessment confirmed that the Q-Truck chassis meets safety requirements under various working conditions in complex port scenarios.
Additionally, the outstanding durability of the chassis potentially exceeds the needs of port customers for more than 10 years.
Based on vehicle fatigue loads and extreme loads collected by Ricardo, the tests mainly cover chassis strength and durability. Under the witness of Ricardo, the core results highlights:
Firstly, the scenarios show that the “strength” of the Q-Truck chassis meets the requirements.
The actual test was conducted by collecting road spectra and stress-strain data during conditions such as connecting and disconnecting from the trailer, accelerating and decelerating, turning, and emergency braking at the port.
Image source: Q-Truck work acquisition photos
Second, simulation verification shows that Q-Truck chassis strength and fatigue strength meet the use requirements.
Image source: Q-Truck strain collection in harbours
Q-Truck has successfully passed the virtual simulation tests of 36 different working conditions. The analysis performed by Westwell Engineering was under the remote supervision and guidance of Ricardo UK Ltd. The fatigue cycle simulation times are nearly unlimited, fully accommodating extreme conditions such as large speed bumps and road debris. The tests and simulations, set up with maximum accelerations of 2g in the X direction, 3g in the Y direction, and 3g in the Z direction, far exceed the industry standards of 0.6g in the X direction, 0.4g in the Y direction, and 2.5g in the Z direction.
Image source: Q-Truck work acquisition photos
Q-Truck has successfully passed the chassis strain test during actual terminal operations, including the heavy container drop test. Furthermore, it has complied with safe operation targets in 36 types of rigorous limit and fatigue condition tests, greatly exceeding the requirements for ten years of use in the harbour. Based on the analysis performed by Westwell, the safety coefficients are all greater than 1.45, in contrast to the general standard, which is only greater than 1.0-1.2.
Image source: Q-Truck work acquisition photos
Ricardo is a multinational consulting firm focused on strategic, environmental and engineering solutions. With more than 100 years of engineering excellence and a team of more than 3,000 technical experts, it has been committed to providing leading sustainable solutions in the transport and energy safety industries.
Reliable chassis coverage for multi scenario applications
The same chassis that has been certified and evaluated this time is also used in the E-Truck, Westwell’s upgradeable autonomous driving smart electric heavy-duty truck. Westwell has created the Qomolo intelligent driving brand, with a product line covering various vehicle types such as unmanned driving and autonomous driving. Among them, the unmanned heavy truck Q-Truck and the manned E-Truck continue the “modular” design of the Qomolo family, sharing a chassis architecture platform that can meet the green intelligent transformation needs of customers in various scenarios such as ports, land ports, and industrial parks.
Facing complex operating environments such as container stacking and transportation, Westwell has also strengthened the customized design of the vehicle chassis. In this way, it can cope with extreme climate challenges and various irresistible working conditions, providing hard-core technical support for the efficient, safe, and sustainable operation of the intelligent commercial vehicles.
Image source: Detailed display of the chassis of Q-Truck (The Cab-less Electric Autonomous Commercial Vehicle), which is being developed by Westwell
The E-Truck is an intelligent, pure electric commercial vehicle tailor-made by Westwell for customers undergoing new energy and low-carbon transformation in large logistics operations. It is mainly used in the field transportation links of various closed scenes, speeding up the flow of goods and helping efficient and accurate operations. As the world’s first intelligent networked new energy heavy truck that can upgrade unmanned driving, E-Truck supports automatic driving upgrades in the whole life cycle of customers, and can flexibly switch between two working modes of “manned and unmanned driving” after upgrading.
Image source: Detailed display of the chassis of E-Truck (Upgradeable autonomous driving intelligent connected new energy heavy truck), which is being developed by Westwell
The shared chassis architecture platform has also lowered the barrier to upgrading to autonomous driving for E-Truck, providing customers with a more flexible and cost-effective solution for autonomous driving upgrades. Once customers have the need for autonomous driving upgrades, they do not need to change vehicles or purchase additional equipment; they only need to add sensor modules, autonomous driving computing units, and OTA remote online updates to the existing E-Truck vehicles to quickly complete the upgrade.
Full-cycle services to reinforce security
Since the establishment of the Qomolo intelligent driving brand, efficiency, safety and sustainability have been rooted in the brand’s DNA. Adhering to the spirit of innovation and exploration in AI and new energy as well as stringent safety guidelines, Westwell has been building benchmark cases of autonomous driving applications in China, Thailand, Abu Dhabi, UK, Egypt, Singapore Malaysia, Mexico and other parts of the world, and has guaranteed a good track record of more than 4 years of regular operation. Westwell’s autonomous driving heavy-duty trucks are the trusted first choice for customers in the large logistics industry.
Image Source: Q-Truck and E-Truck jointly participate in the actual operations at the Port of Laem Chabang, Thailand, ensuring safe operations
As the world’s leading technology company in the autonomous driving field, Westwell insists on independent innovation, constantly upgrading its chassis technology, and continues to be among the world’s leading companies. In addition to this analysis , the Q-Truck and E-Truck, which are independently developed and built by Westwell, has also passed the real test in the market and the credibility of global customers.
To promote the intelligent transformation of the logistics industry, Westwell actively explores new quality productivity driven by “New AI and Green Energy”, which runs through every link of logistics transportation, production, and operation. In the context of long-term sustainability, both Westwell and Ricardo are at the world’s forefront of innovative technology, working together to create a more efficient, safer and cleaner logistics blueprint through sustainable technological solutions. Westwell looks forward to more high-quality global partners joining this green initiative.