Bugatti continues work on hyper sports car amid lockdown

MANILA: Bugatti has temporarily suspended the manufacture of most of its vehicles like the Divo 2 and the Chiron 1. However, numerous employees continue to work from their homes while complying with the recommendations of international specialists and regulations of the authorities.

Head of chassis application and testing at Bugatti Lars Fischer, as well as chassis setup engineer Sven Bohnhorst, continuously evaluate the exceptional Bugatti hyper sports car from Molsheim, France.

Fischer has been with Bugatti since 2011, and his main job is in the testing department of the automobile company. He said that even though they are not currently working in the office, they continue with the development of their vehicles. They also do test drives on public roads for several kilometers..

Nevertheless, there are a few modifications from their usual routine in the office. Fischer explains that every morning, they come to an agreement on which applications they need to evaluate in the next two days.  This is for immediate response to new situations. They also schedule their tasks in advance weekly.

The engineers of the auto company work closely on Bugatti vehicles like Divo and Chiron. Thus, they rely on other test sites and teams.

According to Fischer, they need to check daily on how other workers do their jobs and whether their company regulations and legal policies have been modified. If trial runs and test drives are not possible on the road, the engineers focus on their simulation models and their calculations at home. Thanks to advanced and novel digital work procedures, their tasks can be accomplished efficiently. They also employ secure communication through Skype.

Sven Bohnhorst points out that two engineers are handling the test drives for Divo or Chiron so that the tests can be done based on a standard checklist, and the information can be stored in the computer in real-time.

Bohnhorst has specialized in damper calibration and steering since 2014 at Bugatti and has assisted in the development of cars like the iconic Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+. According to Bohnhorst, they make sure that the ideal safe distance is always maintained when conducting test drives.

For instance, it is necessary to stop the utilization of the computer to proceed with changing specific test parameters. This means that it will take time for the calibration to be completed, usually up to 30% longer, since some manufacturing test plants have only a few stop points.

Bugatti engineers typically work in shifting schedules, and they work on three vehicles. They sit in the car for about seven hours to conform strictly to occupational health and safety policies.

Though he is used to directly communicating with other experts in their company, Bohnhorst needs to make a few adjustments at the moment, such as making written summaries. He usually works with the team in discussing subjective handling concerns and in searching for more feasible solutions.

Fischer also depends on visual and personal contact in terms of his job. According to him, although certain aspects can be discussed through telephone conferencing, personal communication directly in a car is more convenient, especially when they are dealing with complex matters. For him to have a better understanding of the perspective of team members, he typically travels as a passenger during their final test drives. Currently, since the situation does not permit this, he does solo driving instead.

At present, Bugatti is testing vehicles on public roads and a high-speed track. Trips to specific locations in France are made possible, provided that they do not exceed one working day. It is because overnight stays in hotels or inns are not allowed at the moment for safety purposes.

However, Bohnhorst explains that such tests are crucial, and they hope that they will be able to drive on public roads once the lockdown has been lifted.

Also read: Brace yourselves for a new Bugatti hypercar