AI in Automotive
Engineering & Development
Engineering & Developmenttest reductionUK

Cutting Physical Test Cycles with Engineering AI

5 June 2026

A powertrain team trained surrogate models on historical test data to predict outcomes, removing a meaningful share of physical rig tests from the validation plan.

Physical rig testing is slow and expensive, and much of it re-confirms behaviour the team has effectively seen before.

By training surrogate models on years of historical test data, engineers could predict outcomes for many new configurations with quantified confidence.

Low-uncertainty cases were signed off on the model's prediction; only genuinely novel or high-risk cases went to the rig, trimming the test plan without lowering confidence.

Follow the evidence base for this area in Engineering & Development.