Case Study: Ricardo Consulting Engineers achieves faster, lower-cost G‑DI fuel-injection development with MathWorks

Mathworks Products Save Money And Accelerate Fuel-Injection Technology Development At Ricardo

Ricardo Consulting Engineers, a long-established powertrain and vehicle engineering firm, needed to improve performance and fuel economy for gasoline direct-injection (G‑DI) engines by optimizing the control switches and transitions between six operational modes while meeting strict European emissions standards. To accelerate development and validate control strategies, Ricardo used MathWorks products—MATLAB, Simulink, and Stateflow—to model and analyze the engine management system.

Using MathWorks’ Simulink to build hierarchical block‑diagram models of each mode and Stateflow to implement and visualize mode transitions, Ricardo developed reusable control algorithms that simplified complex switching logic. The MathWorks-based solution significantly improved engine performance, cut emissions on the Mitsubishi G‑DI by approximately 50%, sped development (reducing time and cost), and produced modular models that can be reused on other engines.

Ricardo Consulting Engineers

Nick Owen

Department Manager