Allison Transmission, a global manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty fully automatic transmissions and a supplier of commercial vehicle propulsion solutions, including electric hybrid and fully electric propulsion systems, recently opened its new Vehicle Environmental Test (VET) center to conduct year-round testing, replicating vehicle environments and duty cycles, compressing product development times and supporting innovation for the industry.
“This facility is a direct reflection of our commitment to advancing new product development technologies and reducing time to market,” said Randy Kirk, senior VP, product engineering and program management at Allison Transmission. “The VET center will facilitate rapid product development for conventional, alternative fuel and electric vehicles, providing Allison and our customers an efficient and effective tool for next generation innovation and collaboration.”
The 60,000-square-foot facility houses a hot soak chamber, a cold soak chamber, and two chassis dyne-equipped environmental chambers capable of simulating a broad range of duty cycles, environmental conditions from negative 54 degrees to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, altitudes up to 18,000 feet, simulated grades and other on-road conditions. The VET center can accommodate most commercial on-highway, off-highway and wheeled defense vehicle applications, supporting testing for a wide-range of propulsion systems, including conventional powertrains, alternative fuel, electric hybrid, fully electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. It is located on the campus of Allison Transmission’s global headquarters in Indianapolis.
“We are excited to have this facility that will provide our customers and partners enhanced capabilities to conduct full-vehicle testing by replicating environments and duty cycles all in one centralized location, allowing them to bring new and innovative technology and vehicle systems to market faster and more efficiently. For players in our industry this translates into a competitive advantage, as innovation drives the industry forward,” said Rohan Barua, VP of North America sales for Allison Transmission.
According to the company, the VET facilitates immediate evaluation and responses to issues under controlled conditions that ensure the desired operating environments can be isolated, tested and replicated real time. This capability provides Allison and its partners with a unique advantage in the development of new products.
