Facilities

Powertrain testbed

Control room

The infrastructure is dedicated to testing vehicles (mass up to 3500 kg, wheelbase up to 4100 mm, track up to 2000 mm) and conventional, hybrid and electric powertrains (with power provided by thermal power units up to 375 kW and power provided by electric motors up to 250 kW) in a temperature-controlled laboratory environment, to allow full power tests in powertrain mode and at 70% of the maximum power (thermal + electric) in vehicle mode (with possibility of managing peaks of 100% for limited time). The infrastructure enables testing cycles required by international regulations as well as non-standard driving cycles, such as those obtained by road testing to validate control strategies of the energy management system by measuring consumption, efficiencies and emissions. In fact, the infrastructure is equipped with measurement systems of fuel and pollutants, mechanical power to the wheels and electric power. The infrastructure is also equipped with a driving simulator interface system and external simulation models to validate assisted and autonomous driving technologies as well as their impact on energy consumption and emissions.

Services

  • Performance testing and emissions measurement in conventional and hybrid vehicles
  • Calibration of conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles
  • Testing and calibration of conventional, hybrid (in all possible configurations P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, power split, series hybrid) and electric powertrains
  • Experimentation of powertrain subsystems (e.g. electrified axle)
  • Experimentation of vehicles in 2-wheel drive (2WD) and 4-wheel drive (4WD) configuration
  • Execution of tests referring to homologation cycles and test cycles defined ad hoc
  • Execution of tests in hybrid powertrains with the use of an electric machine capable of replicating the dynamics of an internal combustion engine
  • Execution of Hardware in the Loop tests in combination with external driving simulators

Equipment

  • 4 load dynamo 260 kW (2500 Nm) high dynamic to replicate road conditions even at low adherence;
  • A 450 kW (800 Nm) high dynamic electric machine ("Prime Mover") to simulate the torsional dynamic performance of a thermal engine in transmission configuration or to be used as a "brake" in engine configuration;
  • High resolution torque transducers (0.005 %) for wheel torque measurement (5kN);
  • Front fan (speed up to 180 km/h);
  • Engine cooling/lubrication fluid conditioning system;
  • Turbocharged air conditioning system from endothermic engines;
  • Automation system for automatic management of vehicle and powertrain tests.
  • Robots and actuators for pedal and gear lever controls
  • Battery emulator
  • External driving simulator (stand-alone)
  • Testbed.CONNECT for real-time interface between simulation models and test room.

Instruments

  • Battery emulator
  • Particulate measurement system
  • External driving simulator (standalone)
  • Robots and actuators for pedal and gear lever controls
  • Measurement system of undiluted gaseous pollutants
  • Fuel flow measurement system
  • Testbed.CONNECT for real-time interface between simulation models and test room