Vehicle and powertrain development specialist FEV recently opened a comprehensive test facility capable of accounting for a variety of environmental factors. 

The company’s new e-Dauerlauf Prüfzentrum (e-Duration Test Center, or eDLP) is a development and endurance testing environment for electric powertrain components. The facility is situated near Leipzig, Germany, and provides around 70 test systems dedicated to performance, durability, abuse testing and more.

“Our team of experts at the eDLP provides advice and support in the specification of individual test objectives. If required, we also develop suitable test cycles and take over their execution,” said CEO Stefan Pischinger. “We extract data from our findings and insert determinations directly back into the development process for our customers. This not only shortens virtual iteration loops, but also reduces real test requirements, saving both time and money on the way to product series maturity.” 

eDLP’s environmental test capabilities include:

• Climatic tests/condensation: climatic cabinet and temperature chambers for temperature and humidity profiles between -40 and 90° C (-40 and 194° F) and 10 to 95% RH
  
• Chemical resistance: climatic and temperature chambers to test the general resistance of materials to the effects of chemicals at different temperature and humidity profiles

• Surge water: temperature chamber with surge water system (ice water, dirty water) for thermal shocks
  
• Corrosion testing/salt fog: climatic chambers with salt fog spraying systems for different temperature and humidity profiles
  
• IP protection class: dust, strong jet water, hot water, etc.
  
• Dust testing: dust chamber with high air circulation for use with SAE J726 standardized Arizona Road Dust or talcum powder
  
• Dip tanks: two 14 m³ (3,700 gallon) masonry dip tanks, in which test specimens can be immersed to a depth of one meter
• Negative pressure test: Vacuum temperature chamber for changing air pressure conditions
  
• Stone impact: Multi-impact tester with chilled cast iron granules
  

Source: FEV