The engineer behind cars including the Mercedes-AMG GT and AMG One hypercar has joined a Melbourne-based automotive tech start-up.
An Australian automotive engineering start-up with its sights set on producing components for some of the world's largest car makers has hired a former top Mercedes-AMG executive.
The German-born engineer – who has an Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Stuttgart – led projects including the Mercedes-AMG GT sports car.
He also oversaw the development of the AMG One, a multimillion-dollar hypercar powered by a version of the turbo V6 engine from AMG's championship-winning F1 cars.
Doftek has lured Hermann to Australia as it prepares to supply its potentially game-changing technology to top car manufacturers for use in their future models.
The Melbourne-based firm has developed 'Active Wheel Alignment' technology that can ensure each wheel is perfectly positioned in real-time – even while the car is moving – rather than only when stationary, using costly equipment.
It is claimed to give the tyre its ideal contact patch with the road, and has the potential to reduce fuel consumption and other emissions, as well as improve grip.
The Australian company says it is in talks with three auto manufacturers to implement the technology, which it says has applications in everyday cars – including electric vehicles – as well as high-performance models.
“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,” Mr Hermann said in a statement.
“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.”
Doftek’s system can control wheel position even in high-speed performance cars – which Hermann is more than familiar with – where the speed and load requirements on a tyre are extreme.
The company says its system has already passed initial durability testing, including endurance runs, track testing at the demanding Nurburgring Nordschleife race track in Germany, as well as evaluations at sub-zero temperatures in Sweden.
“Doftek has been actively working with a number of manufacturers predominantly from Europe,” Dr Geoff Rogers, founder of Doftek, told Drive.
“We are quite advanced with three vehicle manufacturers and have a healthy pipeline of activity with a number of other manufacturers.”
