Alejandro Martinez

Alejandro has a bachelor's degree in motorsport engineering from Coventry University, where he participated in Formula Student as a front wing designer with the CU Phoenix Racing (2020-2021). He has a master's degree in aerospace engineering in the aerodynamics master's track at TU Delft. He first worked at Dassault Systèmes during an eight-month internship on automotive cooling fan simulations and correlation. He continued to work with the company through an internship on tire simulation methodology, which was his master's thesis topic. He now works for Dassault Systèmes as an industry process expert, focusing on tire simulation methodologies and aerodynamics.

---

Presentation

Aerodynamic impact of tire shapes, particularly on electric vehicles

As the automotive industry increasingly shifts toward electrification, minimizing vehicle drag becomes essential to enhance autonomy range and meet consumer expectations. Additionally, a recent European regulation (WLTP) requires car manufacturers to provide reliable emissions values for all the vehicle configurations, emphasizing the relevance of achieving accurate drag results. Among the largest contributors to the overall drag of the vehicle are the tires. This presentation leverages PowerFlow’s simulation capabilities to explore how tire shape differences can affect aerodynamics and force coefficients, particularly with clean underbody designs like in electric vehicles.