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MAHLE opens new test bench for electric drives
The German company says it has commissioned a test bench for electric drives in Stuttgart. This equipment will be used to develop and test e-axles and e-drive units for a wide range of electric and hybrid vehicles.
The first test on a unit was successfully performed on behalf of a customer just a few days ago. MAHLE has invested around EUR 3 million in the new facility which marks another milestone in the company's technological transformation.
“With this new test bench, MAHLE continues the targeted expansion of its global range of services for e-mobility,” says MAHLE’s head of development, Martin Berger, in a press release.
“With the commissioning of the test bench, MAHLE continues the targeted expansion of its global range of services for e-mobility,” adds Dr. Martin Berger, Vice President Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering at MAHLE. “Both our customers and our developers can now benefit from an ultramodern facility, which is one of only very few in Germany.”
In future, the new e-test bench in Fellbach will be used on behalf of international customers to carry out functional development work, simulate highly dynamic, transient modes of operation, perform efficiency measurements and torque vectoring, and simulate wheel slip scenarios. Operating map application and data population, testing of high- and low-voltage systems, and the investigation of thermal influences are also among the scope of services. Also, MAHLE components can be tested in the context of a whole system there.
The test facility includes an e-axle unit consisting of two oppositely mounted load machines equipped with permanent-magnet synchronous electric motors. Thanks to a nominal power handling of 350 kW per dynamometer and an impressive peak torque handling capacity of 8,400 Nm (7,000 Nm continuous torque). Separate battery simulators for applications ranging from 48 V to 1,000 V and a high-speed power analyser system allow for performance mapping, performance characterisation, and efficiency studies to be carried out.
In addition, the new facility has a high-performance thermal conditioning system that provides a temperature range from –30°C to +130°C for the accurate simulation of vehicle operating conditions.
