Two new dynamometers – a hub dyno and a steerable dyno – have been added to Ascential Technologies‘ portfolio, providing capabilities for testing electric and autonomous vehicles.
With its full-range steering function, the company’s latest steerable dynamometer enables precise, real-time simulation of vehicle motion and positioning for scenarios such as straight line driving/cruising, acceleration/deceleration, s-curve navigation, dynamic braking and lane changes, parallel parking maneuvers and road load simulation.
The front axle has a steering angle of ±45° and a rated tractive force of ±7,760N, with a rated power output of 178kW. The rear axle provides a rated tractive force of 11,684N and a rated power output of 300kW. Both axles offer an overload capability of 150% for up to 60 seconds. Additionally, the dyno is equipped with Burke Porter D4 4X4 torque vectoring software and includes an interface to Simcenter Prescan software for autonomous driving simulation.
During operation, the dyno combines two interfaces: one for scenario simulation system and another for intelligent connectivity. It is specifically designed to test the functions, sensors, actuators and controller hardware and software of autonomous vehicles. This facilitates quick, repeatable validation of a vehicle’s autonomous driving capabilities – a process currently performed primarily on proving grounds.
Ascential Technologies’ hub dynamometer includes four wheel hubs, each connected to a shaft linked to an electric motor that provides resistance – enabling road conditions to be emulated accurately while eliminating the inconsistencies of the tire patch interface. Since range anxiety is a key concern with EVs, Ascential Technologies expects automotive manufacturers to use its hub dyno for hardware-in-the-loop simulations. According to Ascential Technologies, the directly coupled hub dyno enables engineers to simulate vehicle component modifications like never before, facilitating a vast range of testing variations for the vehicle’s electric drivetrain.
Each axle has a rated torque of 16,370Nm and a rated power of 600kW. The system features an overload capability of 150% for up to 60 seconds. It also offers an adjustable wheelbase range from 80-184in and supports a vehicle axle load of up to 10,000 lb. The hub dyno is equipped with Burke Porter D4 torque vectoring software and includes an interface to dSPACE and CarMaker for HIL simulation.
“Ascential Technologies has a legacy of producing top-of-the-line, customized and groundbreaking dyno products that solve customers’ most pressing problems. We have always been on the leading edge of innovation and these new additions to our dyno portfolio are no different. Our new hub and steerable dynos are crucial in setting the industry up for success and shaping the industry standard for the next five to 10 years,” said Uwe Krueger, executive VP of the global transportation business unit within Ascential Technologies’ Test & Measurement Systems division.
Expect a feature on hub-coupled versus roller dynos in the June issue of ATTI.