/// EV TESTING \\\


UK gains new battery testing facility


Northamptonshire testing and development facility provides electric vehicle, battery and fuel cell testing for future mobility


N


orthampton is now host to two new fully completed MAHLE Powertrain test and development facilities, the result


of a series of investment tranches over the past five years topping £15 million, £3.6m of which was UK government funding. The result of this investment will enable the


automotive powertrain specialist to deliver the kind of testing capability that is in high demand as the automotive industry acceler- ates its transition towards decarbonised propulsion systems. The purpose-built facilities allow MAHLE


Powertrain to support customers with every aspect of development for the future of mo- bility, permitting the safe testing of vehicles, batteries and hydrogen technology. Part of the testing and development re-


32 /// Climatic & Vibration Testing \\\ 2022


quirement of the industry calls for state of the art environmental test facilities that are able to simulate the most extreme environmental conditions. The inclusion of such testing equipment paves the way for meeting the cli- matic testing requirements of the latest gen- eration of battery systems and the electric vehicles they will be used in. Amid such unprecedented demand, the


centre was declared open for business by An- drew Lewer, MP for Northampton South. According to him, MAHLE Powertrain’s in-


vestment recognises the huge wealth of en- gineering talent in the country and the Northampton region in particular, valued as a strategic industrial location just a stone’s throw from the heart of British motorsport. Some 160 skilled technicians and engineers


are already employed at the site. Simon Reader, MAHLE Powertrain’s manag-


ing director, highlights that as the industry ac- celerates development of a new generation of vehicles that will offer carbon-neutral mo- bility for the transport sector, it creates a huge demand for testing facilities. The new centre in Northampton has therefore been de- signed with both battery and future-fuelled vehicles in mind and provides a spread of ca- pabilities that is almost unique anywhere in the world. “We’re extremely proud of our new test fa- cilities which complement our end-to-end de- velopment process,” says Reader The UK Local Growth Fund and SEMLEP


(South East Midlands Local Enterprise Part- nership) contributed a significant £3.6m to-


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