SAE WCX Preview: Staying Ahead of the Curve

As technology continues to evolve at a faster pace than ever, the automotive industry is discovering new ways to become adaptive and resilient. From mass deployment of electric vehicles and developmental timelines for autonomous vehicles to understating of global supply chain constraints impacting the automotive industry, mobility’s biggest hurdles are driving the engineering community to push the boundaries of innovation and find creative solutions. SAE’s WCX: World Congress Experience, being held from April 5-7, in Detroit, MI, will provide the community the opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate on the biggest issues facing the industry to continue the technological advancements sweeping the mobility industry.

Because mobility technology spans multiple disciplines, industries, and applications, it’s imperative to stay up to date on the latest advances in propulsion, autonomous vehicles, smart architecture, systems engineering, and safety. At WCX 2022, engineers can participate in live panel discussions, keynotes, and breakout technical sessions with subject matter experts across the industry.

For the first time this year, WCX will be offering in-person, live-streamed, and on-demand content aimed at advancing the skill sets of a multigenerational audience. If unable to be there in person, attendees will have the opportunity to join a selected number of live technical and executive discussions online that will advance their skill set in propulsion, connectivity security and safety, as well as the business of technology.

Technical Sessions

WCX 2022 will feature over 150 technical sessions broken down into 10 technology tracks that cover the critical topics to keep engineers up to date with technology innovations. This year’s technical sessions topics will include:

• Advanced Propulsion/Powertrain: This track covers theoretical developments and provides information on real-life applications to industry in the areas of process capability, productivity, reliability, design, global supply chain integration, and manufacturing performance.
• Body/Chassis/Occupant Protection and Pedestrian Safety/Structure: In this track, subject matter experts from OEMs, suppliers, and consultants will present sessions on issues around human factors, biomechanics, vehicle dynamics, aerodynamics, accident reconstruction, pedestrian, vehicle impact, crashworthiness, tires, wheels, lights, and restraints.
• Automotive Electronics/Connectivity/Vehicle IoT/Smart City/Infrastructure/Active Safety: WCX will also feature sessions on safety-critical systems, L4/L5 autonomy, intelligent transportation systems, software, testing and instrumentation, vehicle diagnostics, simulation and modeling mechatronics, vehicle sensors and actuators, cybersecurity, IoT/Blockchain, and many other automobile electronics topics.
• Emissions/Environment/Sustainability/Thermal Management: This track will cover topics including vehicle emissions, environmental impacts, climate control, thermal management, thermal modeling, emissions measurement, end-of-life strategies, alternative energies, and electrification strategies.
• Smart Manufacturing: Experts will address subjects critical to smart manufacturing such as collaborative robotics, Industry 4.0, additive, supply chain, Industrial Internet of things, and Digital Twin.
• Integrated Design: This track will address subjects critical to future vehicle development and design, such as CAD/CAM, simulation, modeling, AI, AR/VR, and reliability-based design.
• Materials and Lightweighting: Subjects critical to future vehicle development and lightweighting will be highlighted in this track. Sessions will focus on the criticality of ferrous and nonferrous metals, composites, plastics, polymers, and other lightweight materials like graphene.
• Military Ground Vehicles: This Track will serve as a forum to address the unique challenges, current gaps, and emerging technologies related to the design, development, and manufacturing of military ground vehicles. The scope includes modeling, simulation, performance analysis, optimization, testing, and validation.
• NVH: The latest technologies surrounding noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) and sound quality will be presented in this track.

Leadership Summit Roundtables

Executive roundtable discussions are designed to address critical issues of the technology from a business development standpoint. Thought-provoking roundtables on the business of technology will be part of the Leadership Summit, featuring topics including: The Future Powertrain-Propulsion Portfolio Challenges; E- Drivetrain/Transmission; The Hydrogen Highway; DATA; Going to the Gemba; Electric Infrastructure; Sustainability; and SAE Level 2.

Learning Lab

The Learning Lab provides attendees access to information on new technology and services from the OEM and supply chain communities. Registered exhibitors will take the stage and present their latest products serving the mobility industry to a captive audience on the exhibit floor. These presentations are designed to also address concepts or innovations that could impact attendees’ development strategies. Select experts from the motorsports and vehicle history community will also share their expertise with the audience.

Knowledge Bar

Another unique experience at WCX 2022 is the SAE EDGE™ Reports’ Knowledge Bar, where attendees can get help problem-solving issues on unsettled and established technologies in a casual “small group” environment. The attendees are encouraged to come prepared with questions to an assembled group of subject matter experts. Each expert will lead 40-minute “expert discussions” on the critical technologies moving the advancement of design, deployment, and development of future vehicles forward. Some of the topics to be discussed include smart manufacturing, AI, automated and connected vehicle, and battery electrification.

Exhibition Floor

Like every year, WCX 2022 will feature an Exhibition Floor where attendees can network with industry leaders and experience previews of the newest products on the market demonstrated by OEMs, suppliers, and technology companies.

As the mobility industry prepares for a comeback and works to overcome the supply chain challenges of the past 24 months, at WCX 2022, the engineering community can interact with decision-makers eager to find new solutions, source inspiration, and uncover latest innovation.

For more information and to register, visit sae.org/attend/wcx  .

---