Bosch teams up with Aussie active wheel alignment inventor
Global tech giant fosters breakthrough chassis geometry adjustment system designed Down UnderAn Australian automotive start-up that has developed an active wheel alignment system that it believes could eventually become as common as anti-lock brakes now has the backing of global tech giant Bosch.
Victorian automotive technology company Doftek, whose flagship Active Wheel Alignment (AWA) system allows real-time in-vehicle monitoring of wheel alignment to enhance vehicle dynamics, efficiency and safety, is now co-located at Bosch’s new ‘Multi-Functional Co-Working Space’ in Melbourne.
The move marks the inauguration of Bosch’s new technology collaboration centre at its Oceania headquarters in Clayton, which aims to support early-stage companies develop products and systems “aligned with Bosch’s core interests”.
The support of world-class facilities at Bosch’s Clayton Campus will allow Doftek to further develop its world-leading AWA technology, which allows a vehicle's wheel alignment settings to be monitored and adjusted in real-time to maximise handling performance, improve fuel-efficiency, reduce emissions, improve refinement and minimise tyre wear.
‘With a rapidly growing customer base, we are actively scaling our business and engineering operations,” said Doftek executive director and co-founder, Dr Priscilla Rogers.
“Our co-location with Bosch Australia allows us to expand our footprint on demand and in a turn-key fashion with access to world-class facilities and expertise that supports automotive componentry development.
“There are very few co-location ecosystems in Victoria that support hardware development, so the opportunity provided by Bosch is compelling for companies like ours.”
Located at Bosch’s redeveloped regional headquarters in Clayton, the multi-functional co-working space offers scalable office, workshop, laboratory, manufacturing and storage areas that can be configured to suit individual company requirements.
“There’s no better place for an innovative early-stage technology company to set up camp than here with us in Clayton. But not just for the space,” said Bosch Oceania president Gavin Smith.
“Doftek can also call on our expertise in automotive technology development, testing and manufacturing establishment, should the need arise.
Bosch and Doftek are long-standing members of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), a federal government-backed not-for-profit designed to boost innovation, productivity and competitiveness across Australia’s manufacturing industry.
Doftek told carsales in mid-2020 that it expected to secure a deal for its breakthrough AWA technology with a major European car-maker and a Tier 1 supplier to produce it, and confirmed ongoing negotiations with at least two other major auto brands.
COVID is understood to have slowed that process, but Doftek’s unique chassis system, which can also be retrofitted to used vehicles, is ready to enter OEM (car-maker) development and could be applied to new vehicles on factory production lines within three years.
Sports and luxury vehicles are expected to be the initial focus, but electric and autonomous vehicles are also likely to be early-adopters of AWA.
AWA is claimed to deliver multiple benefits, but car-makers will likely be focused on its ability to reduce fuel consumption as well as noise, vibration and harshness.
Traditionally, the wheel alignment of a vehicle is set only when it is produced and when it is fitted with new tyres.
But by using feedback from the vehicle’s acceleration, braking and other system sensors, an electromechanical device developed by Doftek can adjust wheel alignment on the move to maintain the maximum contact patch for each front tyre.
AWA works with all conventional suspension systems, on both the front and rear axles, and comprises only an ECU and a couple of replacement components per corner. It can also be used for rear-wheel steering and redundant steering back-up.
Doftek claims a 15 per cent improvement in handling, a 10 per cent reduction in rolling resistance and a 10 per cent-plus reduction in peak tyre temperatures and therefore wear.
The company also claims a reduction in fuel consumption for combustion-powered vehicles and increased range for EVs – claims it should now be able to substantiate with Bosch’s help.
Unlike previous attempts at such systems, AWA adds minimal weight and costs around the same as magnetic damping and rear-wheel steering systems.
Doftek was established in 2017 after fellow co-founder Dr Geoff Rogers came up with the initial concept for AWA in late 2016, when he became frustrated with the lack of easy wheel alignment adjustment in his Audi TT while club racing at the Winton racetrack in Victoria.
AWA can set wheel toe (latitudinal angle), camber (longitudinal angle) and castor (longitudinal tilt) geometries to delivery maximum economy or performance and many combinations in between.
It has been tested by Doftek as a selectable on-demand multi-mode system in the Audi TT RS with MacPherson struts suspension, and as second-generation real-time adaptive system in the Mercedes-AMG GT S with double-wishbone suspension.
AWA was claimed to deliver up to 29 per cent better handling in the latter and an AWA-equipped prototype was being developed with help from AMGC for car-makers to test the concept.
Doftek says its focus is now the industrialisation of its products, which will be “ready for new vehicle releases in 2027”.
Related: Aussie start-up invents active wheel alignment
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