  This paper presents a modeling framework to optimize the two-dimensional
placement of powertrain elements inside the vehicle, explicitly accounting for
the rotation, relative placement and alignment. Specifically, we first capture
the multi-level nature of the system mathematically, and construct a model that
captures different powertrain component orientations. Second, we include the
relative element placement as variables in the model and derive alignment
constraints for both child components and parent subsystems to automatically
connect mechanical ports. Finally, we showcase our framework on a four-wheel
driven electric vehicle. Our results demonstrate that our framework is capable
of efficiently generating system design solutions in a fully automated manner,
only using basic component properties.
