Mahle has commissioned a new test bench for electric drives at its facility in Stuttgart, Germany, which it will use to develop and test e-axles and e-drive units. According to the company, the first test on a unit has been successfully performed on behalf of a customer.
“With the commissioning of the test bench, Mahle continues the targeted expansion of its global range of services for e-mobility,” said Dr Martin Berger, vice president, Corporate Research and Advanced Engineering, Mahle. “Both our customers and our developers can now benefit from an ultra-modern facility, which is one of only very few in Germany.”
Mahle says in future, the new e-test bench 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. Additionally, operating map application and data population, testing of high- and low-voltage systems, and the investigation of thermal influences will also be among the scope of services offered.
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 350kW per dynamometer and an impressive peak torque handling capacity of 8,400Nm, the setup can handle high-performance applications.
Separate battery simulators allow for applications ranging from 48V to 1,000V and a high-speed power analyzer system allows for performance mapping, performance characterization and efficiency studies to be conducted.
Importantly, the facility also has a thermal conditioning system that provides a temperature range from –30°C to +130°C for the accurate simulation of vehicle operating conditions.