MAHLE Powertrain is planning to establish a new EV powertrain testing facility at its engineering center in Plymouth, Michigan.

The company is investing $4 million in the facility, which is designed for testing, developing and calibrating two- and four-wheel drive platforms.

“As well as full powertrain testing and calibration work, the facility will enable the development of powertrain systems, the calibration of transmissions, hybrid and battery-electric powertrain configurations, Real Driving Emissions (RDE) measurements and electric vehicle range determination,” says MAHLE.

The facility will include dynamometers for up to 7,000 Nm of instantaneous torque per wheel with an average torque response time of 0.5 ms, a 623 kW battery emulator with a future expansion capacity of more than 1 MW, a test cell for ADAS assessments and a testbed for US and EU emissions rules.

The facility will be able to accommodate a maximum wheelbase of 4.5 meters, and will be capable of testing at temperatures from -10° to 40° C.

“This investment underscores our determination to provide world-class services to our clients through the provision of state-of-the-art facilities and expertise,” says Managing Director of MAHLE Powertrain USA Hugh Blaxill. “The new facilities will extend our unique capabilities to cover client requirements both in the US and globally, and will prove an invaluable resource for light-duty and heavy-duty manufacturers alike. Crucially, this means we are able to conduct a significant amount of development and validation work without requiring a large number of prototype vehicles to be built by the manufacturer.”

Source: MAHLE Powertrain