/// CLIMATIC TESTING \\\
climatic testing for future transport
Jonathan Newell finds out about the new VTEC facility at Millbrook in Bedfordshire as the testbed for future heavy transport
T
he shift away from the internal com- bustion engine towards battery electric propulsion and hydrogen fuel cell tech- nology does not just affect light passenger transport. It also has a profound effect on larger vehicles, including public transport, military machinery and off-road construction and agricultural vehicles. To help develop powertrains for such vehi- cles as well as achieving certification against emissions and other standards, the UK’s UTAC CERAM Millbrook proving ground and vehicle engineering facility in Bedfordshire has in- vested in a new facility comprising a large climatic chamber with multi-axle dynamome- ter for testing larger multiple wheel-drive vehicles. The VTEC 2 facility (variable temperature emissions chamber) is currently running alongside the existing VTEC 1 chamber, which is continuing to carry out tests that have al- ready been commissioned. How long the two chambers will continue to be used together will depend on decisions made at Millbrook later this year. According to John Proctor, the technical and special projects director at Millbrook, the original VTEC chamber has been in operation for more than 20 years and has carried out nearly 20,000 tests to evaluate emissions in different climatic conditions and down to tem- peratures as low as -25°C. The chamber was built for both passenger
cars and heavy duty vehicles and supports various national and regional clean air initia- tives. However, as technology moved on and drivetrains became more complex, the 2WD dynamometer facility required an upgrade.
VTEC 2 capabilities \\\ VTEC 2 is a heavy duty climatic emissions
chassis dynamometer facility for Transport for London (TfL) emissions, CVRAS, real driving emissions simulation, development and prod-
Dynamic and
The VTEC 2 facility at Millbrook has a large climatic chamber and a 4WD chassis dynamometer with Gigawatt power absorption capabilities
uct benchmarking testing, suitable for diesel, petrol, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), CNG (compressed natural gas), electric and hydro- gen vehicles with up to 60 tonnes of inertia. Climatically controlled from -20°C to +50°C,
the large 25m x 7m x 6m chamber is designed to test 2WD, 4WD or tri-axle trucks, buses and off-highway vehicles for emissions, fuel and lubricant performance and climatic perfor- mance.
Amongst its capabilities are the ability to
test electric vehicles to determine energy consumption, range and energy efficiency and to test vehicles using alternative fuels such as hydrogen, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and CNG for range, emissions and fuel con- sumption over a drive cycle. According to Proctor it was not enough just
to do a simple upgrade since it was necessary to include a multi-axle dynamometer to cope
with the latest large hybrid and battery elec- tric buses, which are equipped with regener- ative braking. “The new dynamometer also has increased inertia capabilities, taking it up to 45 tonnes or even 60 tonnes with load simulation,” he explains. “The current dyno can absorb 200kW but new vehicles can produce more power so the new one has been designed to absorb up to 1GW, which is enough to satisfy foreseeable future requirements.”
Future-proofing \\\ This need to predict the future is one of the
key challenges facing the automotive industry as a whole. As Proctor explains, currently the industry is focusing on power trains but vehi- cle systems are becoming increasingly inte- grated and he believes future challenges lie in connectivity and integration.
2021 /// Climatic & Vibration Testing \\\ 3
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