AUSTRALIAN automotive developer Doftek has stepped up its program to see its innovative active wheel alignment technology reach production status by appointing a former Mercedes-Benz director and technician to its team.

Doftek, which last year unveiled its active wheel alignment (AWA) system and has it under test by major car makers, has appointed Jochen Hermann to its advisory board.  

Jochen Hermann

  The appointment follows Doftek sending its AWA systems fitted to multiple prototype vehicles for development and testing by car makers. The company first started working with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in 2017.

Doftek claims that during tests, these trials have shown the system makes a significant reduction to lap times, ABS stopping distances, and rolling resistance.

Doftek said that in addition to improving handling and lap times in rear-drive, front-steer cars, it has increased customer demand in rear-wheel-steering (RWS) applications.

The company’s founder, Geoff Rodgers, said there was strong market demand for lighter, more powerful actuators for sports cars with high-stiffness axles, heavy SUVs and electric vehicles. 

The expansion of Doftek’s solution to RWS is seen as a significant leap forward in possibilities for vehicle engineers. “AWA is capable of automatically controlling camber, castor and toe on all four wheels of a vehicle in real-time while driving, to provide maximum contact between each tyre and the road surface at all times,” the company said.

“This includes high-dynamic driving in even the most high-performance cars, where the actuation speed and suspension load requirements are extremely demanding. 

“Depending on the OEM’s suspension layout, these significant benefits can be achieved with zero increase in unsprung mass using low-voltage systems (12V and 48V versions available).”

The company said that the AWA system “has also passed initial durability testing, including endurance, track testing (including at the demanding Nurburgring Nordscheife) and winter testing in Sweden.”

The addition of Mr Hermann to Doftek’s board brings 30-years of extensive automotive industry experience, most of it with the Mercedes-Benz Group in Germany. He was chief technical officer and member of the board of Mercedes-AMG.

Mr Hermann oversaw the development of the group’s global electric drivetrains and vehicle platforms, and while at Mercedes-AMG, was instrumental in creating the AMG GT stable of performance vehicles including the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar. 

The AMG One is a street-legal vehicle with a Formula 1 derived engine, which recently became the first production car in history to post a sub-6:30 minute lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack. 

Mr Hermann said: “The challenge for a vehicle engineer is to manage the trade-off between performance, emissions or battery range, and safety.  “Doftek’s technology addresses this challenge and I am thrilled to join the company as it grows its presence around the world.

“When I was the CTO of AMG, I tasked my team with exploring the feasibility of integrating an active wheel alignment system into future vehicles. 

“A first investigation showed that no system was available on the market. However, a few weeks later, the team returned with exciting news: they had discovered an Australian company that not only developed a solution but had also successfully integrated it into one of their own AMG vehicles”.

Geoff and Priscilla Rogers

Doftek founder Geoff Rogers said: “Having an industry leader like Jochen join Doftek unlocks major opportunities for our company. 

“As we accelerate towards series production with carmakers, his expertise will be instrumental to the successful introduction and scaling of our products to meet the increasing demand.”