Allison Transmission, has expanded the electrification testing capabilities at its Vehicle Environmental Test Center. The facility will soon be rebranded as the Vehicle Electrification and Environmental Test Center (VE+ET).
Located on the campus of Allison Transmission’s global headquarters in Indianapolis, the Vehicle Electrification and Environmental Test Center is the only one of its kind in the Midwest, offering a truly unique set of capabilities. The state-of-the-art facility provides a wide range of repeatable, reliable and seasonally- independent vehicle electrification testing.
“Recognizing the value of this unique resource, and considering Allison’s extensive knowledge of battery management and system level integration, Allison engineers, along with our OEM partners are leveraging the Vehicle Electrification and Environmental Test Center to facilitate electric vehicle development and validation programs,” said Branden Harbin, Executive Director of Global Marketing at Allison Transmission. “These engagements are an opportunity to support the continued development of fully electric propulsion solutions, as well as deepen and develop partnerships with established OEMs and new entrants.”
Opened in 2020, the 60,000-square-foot VE+ET Center houses a hot soak chamber, a cold soak chamber, and two chassis dyne-equipped environmental chambers capable of simulating a broad range of duty cycles. Environmental conditions from negative 54 degrees to positive 125 degrees Fahrenheit, altitudes up to 18,000 feet, as well as grades and other on-road conditions can be simulated within the facility. In addition, a recently added thermal feature simulates solar radiant heat to support HVAC testing.
The two testing chambers can accommodate most commercial on-highway, off-highway, and wheeled defence vehicle applications, in addition to automotive passenger vehicles. Furthermore, testing is applicable for a wide-range of propulsion systems, including conventional powertrains, alternative fuel, electric hybrid, fully electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
As the demand increases to test and validate larger battery electric vehicles, Allison extended the test center’s Battery Emulation capability to accommodate above 500 kilowatts with a maximum of 900 volts DC. This allows for around the clock testing without the need to stop and recharge, resulting in more testing completed in a shorter timeframe. Battery emulators are ideal for battery replacement during test, modified state of charge, and/or any additional DC load on vehicles. In addition, the Vehicle Electrification and Environmental Test Center offers commercial fast charging capabilities at 150 kilowatts, furthering development in preparation for tomorrow’s fleets.
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