Victorian-based company Doftek has developed a world-first Active Wheel Alignment System (AWAS) for passenger vehicles.
This system allows the vehicle’s wheel alignment settings, such as camber (longitudinal angle), caster (longitudinal tilt) and toe (latitudinal angle), to be adjusted on-the-fly to maximise handling performance, improve fuel efficiency, reduce emissions and minimise tyre wear.
Designed and engineered over two years, Doftek’s AWAS addresses many shortfalls of previous attempts with its lightweight and compact design.
Geoff Rogers, Co-Founder of Doftek, said that funding and assistance from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has been critical in enabling Doftek to progress to the next step of commercialisation.
“Our real-world testing demonstrates that this technology can provide next-generation performance gains to vehicle manufacturers,” he said.
“The funding and assistance provided by the AMGC has allowed us to accelerate our development and commercialisation efforts into global markets, including Europe and Japan.”
The initial targets for AWAS are luxury and performance vehicles, followed by electric vehicles (for extended battery life) and driverless cars (for novel steering solutions).
“AMGC has an executive team and staff, who have the industry-specific experience, networks and thought leadership needed to be successful in bringing new technologies to market,” Co-Founder of Doftek Priscilla Rogers said.
“We feel extremely fortunate to be able to work alongside an exceptional team at the AMGC, and build a strong partnership.“
Managing Director of AMGC, Dr Jens Goennemann said Doftek is evidence of the impact Australia’s automotive component sector can have on a global scale.
“Doftek is proof that Australia has a strong and innovative automotive component sector exporting hundreds and thousands of components yearly for inclusion into global supply chains,” Dr Goennemann said.
“Doftek has designed, engineered, tested and, with our assistance, will now commercialise an innovative automotive solution with global relevance and impact. In the fullness of time, Doftek expects to support 40 highly-skilled Australian manufacturing jobs,” said Dr Goennemann.
For further information on the project: https://www.amgc.org.au/project/active-wheel-alignment-system/
