Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) specializes in the low-voltage application of switched-reluctance machines to vehicle powertrains, providing electrification of the propulsion system with near full hybrid capability. The UK-based company has invested £1 million in seven projects, including new durability test cells and a low-volume manufacturing facility. The new investment was partially funded by the UK’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI).

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“The environmental chambers will primarily test our SpeedStart and SpeedTorq motor-generators for 48 V applications,” says Product Validation and Functional Safety Manager Paul Bloore. “But we can also test at 12 volts for micro-hybrid applications, 24 volts for truck and bus applications, in fact anything up to 60 volts.”

“The chambers can operate down to minus 40° C and up to 125° C,” says Facilities and Test Manager Joe Curtis. “Moreover, they are fast-acting in their control of a wide range of temperatures, pressures and humidity, which is ideal for accelerated durability testing.”

“Consideration of the thermal environment is absolutely critical for both durability and real-world performance of electrical machines,” says Bloore. “We can already run our switched-reluctance units at more than 12.5 kW for 30 seconds, so the test cells’ drive motor rating of 15 kW and load bank power dissipation capability of 20 kW will help accommodate future development of our SpeedStart and SpeedTorq motor-generators.”

Source: Controlled Power Technologies via Green Car Congress