Test rig operates in real time; suitable for city cars to SUVs
A real time test rig has been created by GKN Automotive. According to the company, it is capable of handling the specific requirements of EVs to develop the most advanced, efficient, and capable products on the market.
The rig has been installed at GKN Automotive’s Offenbach facility. It can handle the extreme dynamics and higher torque of electrified powertrains, which cannot be tested using conventional rigs which are unsuitable for the latest generation of driveline parts, such as side shafts.
The real time capable’ test rig can test specific load data provided by customers, from small electric city cars to the most powerful SUVs. It is also able to dynamically control speed and torque to replicate wheelspin and other complex driving conditions. According to GKN Automotive, it sets new industry standards for precision and quality control in the testing of EV components.
The company has over 20 years’ experience in EV drive systems, analysing how best to design and engineer driveline products for electrified vehicles. The company said it was early to identify that a new testing regime would be required to replicate the different load characteristics of electric motors compared to those of conventional combustion engines.
The test rig is complemented by GKN Automotive’s engineering expertise, which is crucial to correctly setting up and executing tests on the new rig. Data must be selected and validated by the team to establish parameters for the test, and the system must be carefully calibrated during set up to accurately replicate precise load dynamics.
GKN Automotive provides eDrive systems to more than two million electrified vehicles across the globe, with core driveline components selected for use in powertrain systems by a number of the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturers.
Mario Syhre, Director Product Technology at GKN Automotive, said: “Electric vehicles place different load dynamics on our driveline components and this new rig allows us to accurately reproduce those to achieve an unprecedented level of testing. Components need to be much stronger to cope with the higher torque and the extra weight of EVs, without increasing significantly in size or weight, and remain as cost-effective as possible. The new rig allows us to accurately replicate the loads on our components, from small electric city cars to the most powerful SUVs, and deliver the lightest, most efficient solution.”
