The busiest man within the business?
Manfred Harrer leads improvement for each Hyundai Motor Group automobile. Has he received motoring’s longest to-do checklist?
Manfred Harrer shouldn’t be an engineer to shrink back from a problem.
In his profession so far, the German has overseen the Porsche 911‘s swap from hydraulic to electrical steering and subsequently the adoption of its four-wheel steering system, and he has led the event of controversial and sometimes unwelcome automated driving options on Porsches.
Earlier in his profession, he was tasked by BMW with checking out the bogus really feel on the unique R50 BMW Mini’s electrical steering after which main improvement of the steering on the following R56. Harrer is such a specialist in electrical steering that he even accomplished a PhD on the expertise on the College of Bathtub, all whereas doing his day job.
A stint at Apple in California on the tech large’s secretive and finally deserted automotive undertaking adopted his time at Porsche, earlier than an encounter with long-term BMW M improvement chief and extra just lately face of Hyundai-Kia improvement Albert Biermann began a sequence of occasions that led him to South Korea.
Harrer is chatting with us on the Hyundai Motor Group’s (HMG) huge Namyang R&D world base simply south of Seoul in Korea a yr since he first joined the corporate as head of Genesis and efficiency automobile improvement.
That grew to become merely a “warm-up” for Harrer to be taught and perceive “how the corporate works”. Because the starting of this yr he has been promoted in double-quick time to take cost of the event of all Hyundai, Kia and Genesis automobiles and light-weight industrial autos. Lengthy-term Korean colleagues comment that they’ve by no means seen an ascent prefer it.
Given the huge world scale of the world’s third-largest automotive maker, Harrer not solely leads 6000 engineers at Namyang creating the HMG automobiles which can be acquainted on our roads but additionally oversees world services creating fashions for the likes of China, India, North America and rising markets. Greater than seven million autos a yr will carry his affect.
With that in thoughts, it is no marvel there’s an inadvertently pressurised tone to how HMG introduced Harrer’s function and what’s anticipated of him: “The group anticipates Harrer’s management will expedite its electrification transition, securing top-tier management within the electrical automobile period and enhancing the marketability of Hyundai Motor and Kia’s merchandise.”
The primary problem for Harrer was a cultural one: a lot time spent working for German OEMs, significantly inside the Volkswagen Group, creates a sure manner of doing issues.
He says: “The established processes listed below are for a profitable firm. You possibly can’t present up and say: ‘I understand how this works.’ It’s important to pay attention, be taught, observe. The way in which colleagues tackle points and matters is totally totally different.”
But these obstacles pale compared with the technical problem by means of which he has to navigate the corporate.
Harrer quotes the generally used line that the change the business goes by means of is “the most important one in 100 years”, but he’s on the very forefront of delivering this transition. As for what embodies that change, he cites not solely the swap from inner combustion engines to electrical motors but additionally the software program and software-defined autos (SDV) which have “significance on the identical degree”.
The renaissance of hybrids is one other current curveball that’s shaping how sources are deployed, all whereas guaranteeing prices do not spiral uncontrolled.
“Loads of stuff is ongoing,” he says in a matter-of-fact manner. Afterward within the interview he recounts an anecdote that selections was alongside the strains of ‘ought to we or ought to we not make a convertible model’ of a automotive. How instances change.
Given the variety of plates that want spinning, this want for pace in automobile improvement has by no means been larger, particularly now that European automotive makers are having their improvement instances of 4 years or extra proven up by new Chinese language entrants who’re creating automobiles in lower than half that. However Harrer notes: “You all the time see China pace, however do not underestimate Korea pace.”
He says selections could be made in Korea “inside days”, whereas in Europe issues may take half a yr and infinite conferences.
“The pace of our execution in our complete improvement cycle is unbelievably quick in contrast with a standard European OEM,” he says, significantly after a design freeze has occurred. “It is vitally, very aggressive timing in contrast with what I noticed in Europe.”
But issues might get faster nonetheless, and to that finish HMG is investing in additional digital and AI expertise to hurry up the sooner phases of improvement.
The potential is there to skip the early bodily prototype phases and do all of them just about, making use of AI to forestall duplication throughout initiatives of comparable duties and having digital twins of all improvement work.
“We’re actually driving expertise to shorten this cycle even additional,” says Harrer. “It is not solely a couple of shortened improvement cycle however making it extra exact and in a shorter time. The legacy you could have is very fragmented with totally different previous instruments, not related to one another. Now you possibly can have effectivity and pace [with new integrated technology] and also you deliver that along with AI energy. It is a game-changer.”
Certainly one of his greatest initiatives is a brand new flagship SDV structure for HMG fashions that features new battery and motor expertise and, crucially, a brand new electrical structure and software program stack, and it’s due earlier than the tip of the last decade.
The enchantment of SDVs is for automotive producers to maneuver from architectures which can be made up of a number of totally different sub-systems and ECUs to these primarily based on extra of a central system. That’s then deployed throughout a number of fashions and could be up to date and improved remotely over time.
Automobiles and automotive makers have lengthy been good at sharing {hardware} between fashions and scaling up and down accordingly, however now the identical should occur to the software program as a result of ranges of complexity showing in automobiles by means of not solely electrification but additionally automated driving options. Then you must get the {hardware} and software program to speak efficiently to one another.
“There is no such thing as a different to this,” says Harrer. The final word purpose for HMG EVs is for 2 extra conventional {hardware} architectures, one for extra premium fashions that assist 800V quick charging, and one other 400V structure for extra reasonably priced fashions, backed up by the central SDV electrical structure.
“Then now we have the plug-in hybrids, the ICE automobiles as nicely,” provides Harrer, with no trace of the enormity of his to-do checklist. Earlier than I get my subsequent query in, he factors on the market are totally different platforms for rising markets too.
“It is actually huge to handle the complexity,” he explains. “If you happen to break it all the way down to ‘mannequin occasions’ new fashions, enhancements [facelifts], model-year modifications each second day there’s a mannequin occasion. I’ve by no means seen such a posh however environment friendly organisation. After which you must safe the standard, the protection and the reliability behind it.
“You solely ever actually see one angle [when you view the market in your own region]. However there’s the US angle, the European after which what is going on on in China, India, Asia-Pacific. There are devoted fashions you do not see in established markets, these in South America.”
How does he prioritise? Harrer says his prime issues are to set the overarching route for his engineers, together with that ongoing job to hurry every little thing up. However for extra day-to-day duties, he additionally heads a separate “form of job drive group, although I do not just like the phrase” of round 300 engineers that will likely be deployed to particular initiatives as wanted.
“I am additionally leaping in automobiles and driving quite a bit,” he provides. Right here, Harrer sits ahead in his seat, and the Porsche engineer in him takes over, relishing the possibility to get right into a take a look at automotive at any alternative and for his complete engineering group to do the identical.
He says: “This can be a little bit in my DNA and my legacy as an engineer. I believe I actually have deal with on how the automotive reacts and responds, its NVH [noise, vibration, harshness] behaviour, to work with the group on it however particularly with the younger engineers. They admire this quite a bit.”
Harrer has walked into an organization that’s engaged with eager to make its automobiles higher to drive, and that extends proper as much as CEO degree. He’s too new in his place to affect the HMG automobiles on the highway at the moment though he says the Kia EV6 GT provides a touch of what he wish to obtain extra of on the Kia aspect however guarantees “driving pleasure is what issues most”.
I recommend that whereas Kia and Hyundai have made nice strides within the design and high quality of their automobiles, the driving dynamics haven’t stored tempo they usually lack the requisite aptitude. A bit samey and protected, in different phrases.
He is diplomatic sufficient to not use the identical phrases as me however is joyful to debate his imaginative and prescient to remodel the way in which each manufacturers’ automobiles drive.
“Kia is the younger model, and you may go extra responsive with a sportier character,” he says. “That is the factor I am engaged on with [Kia president and CEO] Ho Sung Track but additionally [design boss] Karim Habib, to safe the character design-wise and mix that with the dynamic really feel and the feelings behind it. Feelings and driving pleasure: that is what issues most on the Kia aspect.”
As for Hyundai, Harrer says it’s the extra established model and “extra of the all-rounder, for certain”, however he provides: “We will do extra and produce extra fun-to-drive and never compromise an excessive amount of on the all-round dynamic qualities.”
I recommend that what he’s describing seems like making Kias with the on a regular basis dealing with aptitude of a Ford, whereas giving Hyundai the steadiness and predictability of a Volkswagen. He insists they’re my phrases and never his, however he does not disagree.
Preliminary priorities on tips on how to “deliver a smile to the client” in Kias specifically will concentrate on “the way you sit within the automotive”. After that, “the steering, how the wheel feels in your arms, the thickness of it so you possibly can really feel how the grip degree is”.
The steering engineer is now popping out. He provides: “Then the responsiveness of the steering, being clear and exact. I understand how loopy you UK guys are on exact centre steering really feel. Then the way it builds up, how the automotive reacts, how linear it’s. This for me is the emotion you possibly can deliver to the automotive and never sacrifice an excessive amount of as on the consolation degree. It nonetheless works.
“We now have a level of freedom within the tuning calibration and might decide sure parts with perhaps the next value [not only the steering but suspension components too], however it’s value it to sharpen the character and spend money on the automotive.”
We end off on that thorniest of matters: driver help programs. HMG automobiles have been among the many worst offenders for beeps and bongs, and on the whole phrases Harrer says that ADAS comparable to pace restrict recognition and lane conserving help features “ought to assist you and never annoy you or overwhelm you”. However he provides that they do stay a legislative requirement.
Harrer’s answer to make them extra palatable is to take a distinct strategy to their improvement. “We can’t solely let the digital guys work on it,” he says. “You want the automobile engineering guys in there, for the tuning calibration collectively. “Nevertheless it’s not fixing all of your issues, since you’re proper with pace restrict warnings and so forth, how annoying is that this? That is [however] a part of the rules. We then preserve coming again to automobile dynamics experience and integration and the way these options can assist the motive force and never annoy them.”
Harrer says he’s “in the beginning” of the way to unravel this, however it’s one other job in an already bulging in-tray. Throughout our dialog, he has talked an excellent sport about among the points with fashionable mainstream automobiles however that is solely a part of the image: he additionally has the observe file to again up what he says he’s going to do about it. Finest we depart him to get on with it.
Harrer on…
Going all in on EVs:
Harrer believes any automotive maker that has chosen to proceed to spend money on ICE improvement and hybrids alongside electrical automobiles, which HMG has accomplished, made “a really smart choice”, as a result of the EV market share shouldn’t be rising sufficient to go all in on the expertise simply but.
It is also vital to recollect HMG’s function as a worldwide automotive maker: it continues to develop and promote present applied sciences in areas the place EVs should not but on the radar.
One broad theme of HMG improvement is that of enhancing effectivity of powertrains throughout the board. In Europe that may be a easy legislative requirement for something with an engine, however in broader EV phrases it permits for smaller batteries and due to this fact decrease prices.
Stable-state batteries:
An business cut up is rising amongst R&D chiefs over whether or not or not solid-state batteries will catch on. The expertise has lengthy been thought of a holy grail for EVs as a manner of decreasing the scale and prices of batteries, however Harrer does not see solid-state tech coming for at the least 5 extra years.
He believes the present expertise has “numerous additional potentials”. HMG is working intently with companions, together with LG in Korea, to cut back the nickel content material in its NMC batteries to deliver prices all the way down to these equal to the cheaper LFP batteries which can be rising, significantly from China.
Vary-extender EVs:
The rise of range-extender EVs in China has had different OEMs, HMG included, scrambling to develop the expertise themselves. Harrer says they bring about “much more complexity” into the combo, however provides: “We now have to think about these in our line-up as nicely.”
The Nürburgring:
The legendary German circuit is residence to an HMG improvement centre, which Harrer says stays an important take a look at facility. He says: “If you happen to take a look at there, it [a car] is long-lasting. “We do that with all of our automobiles, and it provides much more momentum for the efficiency automotive line-ups.”
Synthetic intelligence:
Harrer calls the rise of Al in automotive improvement “mind-blowing” for the way in which it could possibly pace up improvement and forestall the duplication of effort. HMG is busy integrating it into its CAD programs. “For instance, should you begin to design a brand new part, the Al will make a proposal to you that you have already got the same part in your database,” he says.
“Or should you tweak this radius right here and there, you’ll lower your expenses in manufacturing. “It turns into sensible and provides recommendation, educating and giving suggestions. It’s going to change how engineers work on CAD programs, how we mannequin and construct simulations. We’re in the beginning of a brand new period within the automotive business.”
