The director of vehicle crash testing at Calspan, winner of Crash Test Facility of the Year in the 2018 Automotive Testing Technology International Awards, reveals the company’s plans for a new Body-in-White sled test facility
How does it feel to have won the award?
It’s a true honor to be selected as Crash Test Facility of the Year. We are very proud of this amazing facility, its unique capabilities and the talented personnel who run it. We’d also like to acknowledge and thank both Messring and our global customers for their ongoing collaboration and support. Customers are very impressed with this facility, especially the attention to detail and anticipation of future needs. It has capabilities that do not exist at many other OEM labs.
Please tell us about the capabilities offered by the facility.
Established OEMs and startups now have access to an independent, OEM-caliber vehicle crash test laboratory with its unique assets such as Messring’s MicroTrack, Propulsion System and M=Wall Load Cells specifically designed to support new vehicle development.
Can you tell us about any future R&D projects?
In alignment with Calspan’s mission and strategic plan, we continue to invest in order to position Calspan as the most modern and capable independent vehicle safety test laboratory in North America. The next phase of our plan includes breaking ground on a new Body-in-White (BIW) sled facility in the coming months. The new Calspan sled will feature the latest in sled technology and is intended to support vehicle manufacturers and restraint suppliers as they develop the next generation of vehicle safety technology.
More on the winners of this year’s Automotive Testing Technology International Awards in the November 2018 issue of ATTI here.
