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His passion: cars
Professional athletes and musicians sometimes say that they have turned their hobby into a career. You hear that far less often from engineers. Leonard Lapis, an engineer at thyssenkrupp Automotive and part of #GENERATIONTK, is an exception. “I’ve been fascinated by cars ever since I was a child,” says the native Hungarian, who grew up near Budapest. “My room was full of brochures and catalogs from international car manufacturers, and I devoured articles in specialist magazines. I learned German by reading ‘Auto Motor und Sport’,” Leonard recalls. “Cars have been my hobby ever since.”
From car enthusiast to automotive engineer
For the lifelong car enthusiast, only a career related to cars was ever really an option. Leonard studied mechanical engineering with a focus on automotive engineering. After his first job at thyssenkrupp in Budapest, he worked for Audi before returning to thyssenkrupp in 2016 – this time in Eschen, where he joined the Research and Development department of Automotive Technology.
Today, as Senior Specialist Chassis Controls, he leads a six-person team working on nothing less than the future of mobility. He and his colleagues – currently all men – are responsible for the design and use of the Modular Research Platform (MRP) test vehicles. Using these vehicles, which somewhat resemble beach buggies, thyssenkrupp tests technologies that are important for areas such as autonomous driving. “It’s about vehicle dynamics functions such as steering, braking, propulsion, and the chassis,” Leonard says.
Steer-by-Wire: rethinking safety and comfort
And it is also about safety and comfort. Leonard Lapis explains how his team is currently researching a system that transfers the steering function to the brakes if the actual steering system fails or malfunctions while driving. What sounds like magic is possible because steer-by-wire systems have no mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the steered wheels; instead, the steering input is transmitted electronically by a sensor. An added benefit of the system is that, when used during lane changes in autonomous driving, it can improve not only safety but also driving comfort. “The vehicle then moves much more smoothly in the intended direction,” says the engineer.
For now, however, this is still a vision for the future. Steer-by-wire is not yet widely used in production vehicles, but Lapis believes the technology for transferring the steering function could be ready for the market in three to four years. His team works closely with various automotive manufacturers such as Honda, BMW, and Mercedes. “With the MRPs, we can simulate the chassis components of many common models and adapt our developments directly to them,” says the engineer.
Two vehicles are currently in use, both equipped with electric drives. Lapis was involved in the development of both MRPs. His main contribution was developing the modular software architecture to suit the agile research environment. He spends up to ten weeks a year with the vehicles on test tracks across Europe – from Arjeplog at the Arctic Circle in Sweden, to ZalaZONE in his native Hungary, and all the way to Nardò in southern Italy.
"On test days, I spend between six and eight hours behind the wheel," says Lapis, who has a comprehensive test driver's license in addition to his diploma. He has completed several driver training courses with BMW and Audi, among others, which allow him to test vehicles on different surfaces, even at high speeds and in unstable driving areas. "The winter training on the glacier in Sölden was spectacular," recalls Lapis. He is now practiced in reacting appropriately in almost every driving situation. "I have to be in control of the vehicle, even if a mistake occurs at high speed or I'm distracted by something," he says.
The test drives in the MRPs are highlights of his job. "You have to be focused every second," he says, "but testing your own inventions on the track is incredibly fun." And as an experienced pilot, he can assess how well they are working while he is driving. "You can feel how the vehicle reacts and whether it does what you think it should do."
Leonard Lapis also likes to drive special cars in his free time. For example, he owns a 40-year-old Mercedes 380 SL, which he drives on vacation. "I've already been to a few European countries in this classic car," he says. That's the way it is when your job is also your hobby.