Virtual Reality for Collaborative Design Review and Learning in Hydrogen Vehicle Architecture

Virtual reality (VR) technologies have shown significant potential in enhancing the automotive design process by providingimmersive, interactive, and collaborative environments for reviewing complex vehicle architectures. Traditional CAD modelsand physical prototypes often struggle to offer the flexibility needed for rapid iteration and spatial understanding, especially forsystems such as hydrogen‐powered commercial vehicles. This study aims to develop a VR platform to improve the collaborativereview of the internal architecture of a hydrogen‐powered commercial vehicle, specifically focusing on the spatial arrangementand interaction of critical components such as hydrogen tanks, fuel cells, and batteries. The goal is to enhance design processes,reduce iteration costs, and improve spatial understanding and decision‐making within automotive teams. The VR environmentwas built using Unity 3D and optimized for mobile VR platforms, incorporating features such as interactive componentmanipulation, dual locomotion modes (teleportation and free movement), and real‐time collaboration. The platform was testedwith a range of users, including automotive professionals and students, to evaluate its usability, performance, and impact onspatial understanding and user engagement. User feedback demonstrated high levels of satisfaction, with 85% of participantsreporting improved spatial understanding, 80% preferring VR over traditional CAD tools, and 90% noting increased engage-ment. The VR platform enabled faster completion of assembly tasks (40% faster than traditional methods) and improvedcollaborative decision‐making. However, challenges such as system performance issues, motion sickness, and a steep learningcurve were reported by some users, particularly nontechnical users. The VR platform developed in this study significantlyadvanced the collaborative and immersive review of automotive designs, offering tangible benefits in terms of engagement,spatial comprehension, and design iteration efficiency. While there were limitations related to hardware requirements and useraccessibility, the results highlight the transformative potential of VR in automotive design and education. Future work willfocus on performance optimization, AR integration, and improving usability for nontechnical users.