Investment Evaluation of Verification Infrastructure in Electromobility Product Development : A Comparative Study of System-Level Test Rigs and Vehicle-Based Testing

Sammanfattning

Background: The transition toward electromobility is increasing the complexity and cost of verification and validation in commercial vehicle development. System-level test rigs have been proposed as an alternative to prototype vehicle testing, yet limited guidance exists on how to evaluate such investments economically. Purpose: The thesis develops a generalizable three-layer evaluation framework for assessing the economic feasibility of verification infrastructure investments, and applies it to a system-level test rig at a heavy-duty commercial vehicle manufacturer. Method: A single-case study using quantitative data from internal company sources. The two alternatives are compared on a total cost of ownership (TCO) basis using and evaluated using net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period. One-at-a-time sensitivity analysis and dual-parameter optimization sweeps assess robustness under parameter uncertainty. Results and analysis: The rig investment yields a net present value of 3.9 MSEK, an internal rate of return of 17.6 percent, and a payback period of approximately 8 years. Transferred test volume is the dominant driver of the outcome, and the discrete nature of vehicle fleet reduction creates step-wise thresholds that concentrate investment risk at specific volume boundaries. Conclusions: The investment is economically viable provided that sufficient test volume can be transferred to the evaluated rig alternative. The primary risk is volume shortfall rather than cost overrun. The framework is transferable to other engineering-intensive contexts by modifying the input parameters.Recommendations for future research: Future studies should improve estimation of transferable scope through longitudinal data, incorporate dynamic cost modeling, and test the framework in other organizational and industry contexts.Keywords: investment evaluation, system-level test rig, electromobility, total cost of ownership analysis, verification infrastructure