IAV presents mobile test bench for electric drives
20.01.2021 —
Berlin. The number of e-vehicles is increasing and with it so too is the need for suitable test equipment. With IAV Auros, the Berlin-based engineering specialist IAV offers a high-voltage test bench the size of a compact showcase that is significantly less expensive to purchase and operate than conventional and stationary testing facilities while offering the same scope of services. The specially developed software automates the test sequences and facilitates straightforward integration into existing test bench infrastructures.
Erik Schneider, Head of the Department of E-Traction & Hybrid Systems, says: “Hardly a week goes by without a manufacturer announcing a new e-model. To ensure that the vehicles can go into series production quickly, testing facilities is essential for extensive testing of the e-components. Conventional test benches are suitable for this purpose, but the test bench lifetimes are rare and relatively expensive due to the high demand. With IAV Auros, we are resolving this area of conflict and creating urgently needed capacities.”
Thanks to IAV Auros, practically all rooms with a 63-amp power supply can be converted into potential high-voltage test benches in next to no time. The mobile test bench can control and monitor a single motor or two electric motors in so-called back-to-back operation. One of the motors works as a drive, the other as a brake in generator mode. Drive motors with up to 150 kW mechanical power – such as traction drives for hybrid or electric vehicles – can thus be tested without any problems or complex infrastructure. This significantly reduces the costs of endurance tests. In addition, IAV Auros can also be used to test other electrical components and systems, such as electrified auxiliary units like on-board chargers and electric turbochargers. In conjunction with IAV Auros, these tests can also be carried out on test benches for climate, environmental and durability testing that previously had no power supply for electric mobility components.
«The knowledge gained from thousands of test hours at our site and feedback from our customers has been incorporated into IAV Auros – our first independent product in this field.»
— Head of the Department of E-Traction & Hybrid Systems
Thanks to integrated and specially developed software, which is also used on IAV’s own test benches, IAV Auros can be operated like a conventional test bench. The software allows all test parameters to be specified, and can address systems such as control units, oil pump or fan and automate all test tasks. With its compact dimensions and low weight of 250 kg, the mobile test bench can be brought to the site of operation quickly and easily or integrated into an existing test bench infrastructure. IAV offers interested parties the mobile test bench either as a product or service. Several German vehicle manufacturers already use IAV Auros successfully in their own projects and testing facilities.
“With our stationary test benches at the development center in Stollberg, we have one of the most advanced test centers for electromobility and the associated high-voltage components. The knowledge gained from thousands of test hours at our site and feedback from our customers has been incorporated into IAV Auros – our first independent product in this field,” says Schneider. “We are thus offering our customers a powerful, mobile and flexibly deployable test bench that is also suitable for international tests and trials.”
About IAV
Employing over 8000 members of staff, IAV is one of the world’s leading engineering partners to the automotive industry. The company has been developing innovative concepts and technologies for future vehicles for over 35 years, generating sales in excess of around € 896 million in 2020. Its customers include all the world’s prominent car manufacturers and component suppliers. Besides vehicle and powertrain development, IAV entered the segment of electric mobility and autonomous driving at an early stage and is now one of the leading engineering service providers in these fields. In addition to its development centers in Berlin, Gifhorn and Chemnitz/Stollberg, IAV also has further operations in Munich, Sindelfingen and Ingolstadt as well as in Europe, Asia and North and South America.
