Live: New high-voltage composite test bench
The electrification of fleets is progressing, and with the increasing diversity of e-models, the complexity of the various powertrains is growing too. This calls for a new generation of test equipment with a previously unattained range of performance and functions. IAV’s new HV composite test bench in Chemnitz/Stollberg enables HV units to be tested individually and as part of a system in early stages of development.
Unique in the industry
The basis of the IAV test facility, which is unique in the industry, is formed by four powerful electric machines with a braking power of 280 kW each (permanent, short-term up to 500 kW), a modular vehicle energy system (VES) with up to one megawatt output as well as a battery container and equipment for air-conditioned operation of the components between -40 and 150° C ambient temperature.
The heart of the test bench is the so-called HV-DC box; the central link for the entire electrical power flow. It can be used to test appropriate connections of the HV components and to analyze the reaction of individual components in the HV system, even in case of malfunctions or errors.
For the first time, the new test bench provides the opportunity to thoroughly examine subsystems even before they are integrated into the vehicle. This opens up far-reaching possibilities with regard to early development scopes on the overall system. For example, system function tests up to functional safety according to the ISO 26262 standard can be carried out in the entire HV system. In addition to the ideal behavior of components and systems, deviations from the desired functionality of the devices under test can also be investigated. Even without test runs with test vehicles, engineers thus gain valuable insights into the reactions of the HV system to operational disturbances such as short circuits, load shedding or inconsitencies in the supply grid during charging.
Reduce development time and costs
Long before a vehicle receives approval, relevant safety tests are also carried out in early development stages, for example, as part of safety and charging approvals. All in all, composite tests can accelerate relevant validations and functional approvals and reduce vehicle development time and costs by up to 50 percent.
The increasing complexity in the interaction of individual HV components also requires fully automated process control. IAV has developed and qualified the Afram automation software required for this, as it has done for the entire test bench.
The article was published in automotion 03/2020, the automotive engineering magazine of IAV. Here you can order the automotion free of charge.
