AUTOMOTIVE TESTING
❱❱ The new powertrain dynamometer facility in Michigan provides US vehicle manufacturers with development capabilities for battery electric and hybrid vehicles
Mahle dynamometer facility powers ahead
Dynamometer supports full powertrain development including testing and calibration of both two- and four-wheel drive platforms and ADAS
M
ahle Powertrain is investing $4 million in a new powertrain dynamometer facility in Plymouth, Michigan, aimed at accelerating vehicle development as manufacturers continue the shift
towards electrified vehicles. Capable of supporting full powertrain development – from the testing and calibration of individual drive components to the complete driveline systems of complex four-wheel drive vehicles – the new facility is unique in North America in handling the demands of even the highest performance light- and heavy-duty hybrid and electric vehicles. The new facility enables advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technology assessments, US and European emissions testing capability and drivability development, testing all on the same testbed. The new test facility will work alongside an
existing chassis dynamometer and will support all aspects of hybrid and battery-electric vehicle development. By enabling the early assessment of various powertrain layouts and allowing testing to be conducted before a completed chassis is available, the new facility will help manufacturers to significantly shorten the overall development cycle. As well as full powertrain testing and calibration work, the facility will enable the development of powertrain systems, the calibration of transmissions, hybrid and battery-electric powertrain configurations, real driving emissions (RDE) measurements and electric vehicle range determination. The state-of-the-art testbed will even support the testing and evaluation of ADAS technologies including LiDAR and RADAR sensor packs and will feature climatic conditioning down to -10°C or up to +40°C. The new facility exceeds the specifications of the
highest performance electric vehicles on the market, with the capability of handling up to 7,000Nm of instantaneous torque per wheel with an average torque response time of 0.5ms. The dynos are supported by a 623kW battery emulator with future expansion capacity to more than 1MW. These features coupled with a maximum wheelbase of 4.5m make the facility unique in accommodating even the highest output pickups and cargo vans. According to Hugh Blaxill, managing director of
Mahle Powertrain USA, the new facilities will extend Mahle’s unique capabilities to cover client requirements both in the USA and globally and will prove an invaluable resource for light-duty and heavy-duty manufacturers alike. “Crucially, this means we are able to conduct a
significant amount of development and validation work without requiring a large number of prototype vehicles to be built by the manufacturer,” he concludes.
HIGH SPECIFICATION FACILITY The new 4WD Powertrain Dyno has a four-dyno set-up with road speed fan (to 84MPH), a 623 kW battery simulator, dual stream raw gas emissions sampling, vehicle simulation software (IPG Carmaker & Truckmaker), operating strategy optimisation for BEV, hybrid & ICE powertrains. It has the capability to perform component integration & release testing without a full vehicle being present and driveability evaluation & development as well as ADAS development & integration In addition, there’s a vehicle emissions lab (CARB Accredited to 40 CFR Part 1066) consisting of a 150kW, 200kph four-wheel drive chassis dynamometer with emission measurement capability and soot as well as particle counting. T&TH
October 2022 /// Testing & Test Houses /// 25
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