Transportation Product Evaluations

Thought leadership

Evaluating Electric Vehicle Structural Performance

For over five decades, Exponent has assisted manufacturers in the automotive, heavy truck, motorcycle, sports, and recreational vehicle industries in evaluating the performance of products and product components.

Our vehicle engineers determine the compliance of client products with applicable standards, regulations, and industry practice through design and safety analysis, laboratory and full-scale testing, and benchmarking analysis.

Capabilities & Services

We provide consulting services, conduct research, and can provide expert testimony in cases of equipment in litigation matters involving product liability, intellectual property, and personal injury.

Exponent consultants offer a breadth of experience with code and standard reviews, assisting clients with understanding applicable regulations and consensus standards, evaluating product compliance records, conformance of production records, and manufacturing and quality control records.
Exponent is uniquely positioned to provide consultation, testing, and product evaluations to determine if your next-gen product or service is in compliance with industry standards and practices. We provide critical insights by performing benchmarking analyses to quantify the features and performance of the client's product in comparison with appropriately-selected peer products.
When automotive failures or vehicle crashes occur, one of the most critical data points to understand is the relative frequency of your issue or event. If you find that a component is regularly reported to have issues, you need to understand the root cause and how to mitigate it. If, however, evidence shows that a failure is rare, there may be little that can be done to prevent or correct it. Exponent teams are highly skilled in analyzing data to determine if your incident falls within normal ranges. To provide data-related context, our teams frequently assess warranty and repair records, perform incident frequency analysis, help clients determine relative risks, analyze frequency and type of consumer complaints, and analyze motor vehicle accident and occupational injury data.
For over 50 years, Exponent has led the consulting industry in assisting businesses, attorneys, and inventors with issues pertaining to intellectual property. Our full-time technical staff of engineers, scientists, physicians, and support staff located in offices worldwide provide expertise in more than 90 technical disciplines.
Our specialists are internationally recognized in their fields and have significant experience in various aspects of intellectual property related to vehicles, including infringement, validity, claim interpretation, prior art, trade dress, trade secrets, due diligence, and valuation, and are experienced in all aspects of vehicle design and industry trade practices.
The demand for safer vehicles and driving technologies is reflected in strict regulatory frameworks, ubiquitous litigation, and stiff civil penalties — there is no business decision more serious for a brand than a recall. Exponent's multidisciplinary teams address every aspect of vehicle safety, including design, risk, manufacturing, and consumer issues — providing facts and understanding that inform critical business decisions.
Our teams develop sophisticated models to predict future failures of known vulnerabilities and our regulatory experts are prepared to guide you through the process of recall and remediation decisions.
For 50+ years, we've thrived on solving unstructured problems that require bespoke solutions. Some of our services include:
- Data collection and analysis
- Reconstruction analysis and simulation
- Component and system failure analysis
- Heavy equipment and machinery safety and design evaluation
- Standards and compliance assessments
- State-of-the-art and industry practice assessment
- In-service performance and incident frequency analysis
- Intellectual property consulting
- Product recall support
- Vehicle and component performance analysis
- Emerging technology development
- Transportation policy support

Exponent leads the industry in performing high-speed, full-scale vehicle testing services.

We're known worldwide for our capabilities and experience with high-speed, full-scale testing to evaluate the following:

Frontal, side, and rear impact crashworthiness
Roof structure integrity and occupant compartment intrusion in rollovers
Fuel system integrity
The performance of occupant safety systems, including restraints
Quantifying occupant response under real-world conditions using fully instrumented Anthropomorphic Test Devices (ATD)

Robust services and full-scale testing capabilities.

State-of-the-art Test & Engineering Center in Phoenix, AZ.

As automated driving technologies continue to advance, Exponent is uniquely positioned to define the actual performance and effectiveness of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) under real-world accident conditions.

Our Test & Engineering Center (TEC) in Phoenix, Arizona is equipped with advanced robotic vehicle controllers and a full suite of AB Dynamics™ reusable robotic soft targets. We use these technologies to create complex accident scenarios, perform parametric studies of ADAS response, and rigorously address failure to equip/failure to perform allegations related to these systems.

High speed passenger train in station. Exponent helps improve the safety and performance of rail transportation.

Expert analyses of all types of transport systems.

We provide consulting services, conduct research, and can provide expert testimony in cases of equipment in litigation matters involving product liability and personal injury. Our experts frequently address issues involving the following transportation systems:

On- and off-road motor vehicles, including micromobility devices
Mobile construction, industrial, mining, and agricultural equipment
Light-rail, commuter, and freight rail equipment

Insights from every angle.

Our multidisciplinary expertise includes:

Vehicle Engineering
Materials & Corrosion Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Biomechanics and Human Factors
Thermal Sciences
Polymer Science & Materials Chemistry

Mechanical engine component. Exponent provides mechanical engineering research, design support, and process evaluations.

Multidisciplinary support.

Our multidisciplinary teams help clients assess allegations related to the following:

Mechanical and machine design
Safety system and component design and performance
Operation protection and operator field of view
Machine controls
Design and manufacturing defects

Benchmarking analysis.

Our teams regularly assist clients in determining compliance of their machines with government regulations, consensus industry standards, and industry practice through benchmarking analysis.

Typical projects include:

Reconstruction of complex accidents in challenging environments
Component failure analysis including metallurgical and fracture surface analysis
Evaluation of the adequacy of maintenance and/or repair practices
Analysis of training practices, product documentation (operation manuals, warning, and instructional labels), and operator behavior

Data-backed insights to quantify safety and performance.

Our vehicle engineers work with our team of data scientists to quantify the safety performance of products using statistical risk analysis methods and can rank product performance relative to peer products.

Often, claims related to the adequacy of a product design cannot be rigorously performed without a complete understanding of the circumstances of the related incident.

Detailed Reconstruction Vehicle Crash Accident

Detailed reconstructions of complex accidents.

To answer the question, "Did the alleged project deficiency or defect cause or contribute to causing the reported incident or alleged injuries?", Exponent performs detailed reconstructions of complex accidents and, if necessary, can re-create the conditions of the accident at full scale.

Our Capabilities Are Unparalleled

With expertise in over 90 disciplines and hundreds of capabilities, tools, and methodologies — we get to the root of even the most complex challenges and give you the objective answers you need.