With the launch of this testing center, Nexen plans to intensify performance testing and R&D for winter tires. Rubber hardens at low temperatures, limiting grip, necessitating the use of specialized rubber compounds and customized tread patterns. As a result, rigorous testing in specialized facilities is critical, and the new testing facility serves as a foundation to bolster these efforts.

Nexen has been using the UTAC testing facility in Finland under short-term contracts. However, with rising demand for test site reservations, securing sufficient testing time has become challenging. To address this, the company is building a dedicated testing center, ensuring stable winter testing throughout the season. This expansion extends the winter tire testing period from one month to up to four months. Nexen intends to expand its R&D skills by establishing dedicated test tracks.

Located within UTAC, the center is situated 300km north from the Arctic Circle, offering an ideal environment for testing tire performance under extreme winter conditions. The facility will feature research and development offices, workshops, and snow and ice tracks spanning an area equivalent to 20 football (soccer) fields (approximately 2,000m in length). UTAC will oversee the construction and operation of the center, which is expected to begin full operations in December 2025.

The center will also conduct tests to obtain the 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) label, which is the standard certification for winter tires in Europe. This capability will further enhance Nexen Tire’s competitiveness in the European market. Nexen also operates winter tire testing centers in Taebaek, South Korea, and Wanaka, New Zealand, where tire tests are conducted under various winter conditions throughout the year.

“As winter tire standards are being strengthened in Europe, this investment is a crucial step to secure our technological competitiveness,” said Travis Kang, global CEO of Nexen Tire. “The testing center will not only reduce our development periods but also enhance the performance of our winter tires through core technology research, further solidifying our presence in the European market, which accounts for approximately 40% of our total sales, while laying the groundwork for future growth in global markets.”

“We are delighted to welcome Nexen Tire to have their own establishment at our Finnish proving ground,” said Connor McCormack, CEO of UTAC. “We have a long-lasting partnership now and we are proud to support the development work of Nexen and their participation to leading mobility toward a safer future.”

After the researchers trained their machine learning model (a combination of comprehensive experimental data and artificial intelligence) with a few hundred million datapoints, the algorithm predicted how many more cycles each battery would last, based on voltage declines and a few other factors among the early cycles. The predictions were within 9% of the actual cycle life.

Separately, the algorithm categorized batteries as either long or short life expectancy based on just the first five charge/discharge cycles. Here, the predictions were correct 95% of the time. This machine learning method could accelerate R&D for new battery designs, and reduce the time and cost of production.

“The standard way to test new battery designs is to charge and discharge the cells until they die. Since batteries have a long lifetime, this process can take many months and even years,” said co-lead author Peter Attia, Stanford doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering. “It’s an expensive bottleneck in battery research.”

The work was carried out at the Center for Data-Driven Design of Batteries. The Stanford researchers, led by William Chueh, assistant professor in materials science and engineering, conducted the battery experiments. MIT’s team, led by Richard Braatz, professor in chemical engineering, performed the machine learning work. Kristen Severson is co-lead author of the research. She completed her PhD in chemical engineering at MIT last spring.

Study co-authors Muratahan Aykol and Patrick Herring brought TRI’s experience with big data to the project (and their own expertise in battery development) to enable effective management and seamless flow of battery data, which was essential in the creation of accurate machine-learning models for the early prediction of battery failure.

The research has many potential applications according to Attia. It could, for example, shorten the validation time for new chemistries. Manufacturers could also use the sorting technique to grade batteries – those with longer lifetimes could be used in more demanding applications (such as electric vehicles) and therefore sold at higher prices. Recyclers could use the technology to assess cells in used EV battery packs, determining if they have enough life for secondary uses.

The research is part of TRI’s Accelerated Materials Design and Discovery (AMDD) program. Led by program director Brian Storey, the US$35m initiative collaborates with research entities, universities and companies to use artificial intelligence to accelerate the design and discovery of advanced materials.

The test program will lead to the production of the vehicle, due to begin at the end of 2019, and will see Speedtail prototypes running in Europe, North America and Africa – initially at bespoke automotive test facilities, but later on normal roads.

Officially designated MVY02, the prototype has been unofficially christened Albert. The vehicle has a production-specific chassis and petrol-electric powertrain, as well as the Speedtail’s unique three-seat cockpit.

During the development and validation program, the Speedtail’s 1,050ps drivetrain will be fully tested, including in high-speed trials with McLaren Automotive chief test driver and former Indycar champion Kenny Bräck.

“The start of real-world testing represents a major step in the development of the McLaren Speedtail,” said Ben Gulliver, head of vehicle development at McLaren Automotive.

“As the first fully representative prototype, ‘Albert’ will build on the invaluable work still being put in by earlier development cars, allowing us to sign-off vehicle attributes including chassis dynamics; brake performance; damper tuning; tires; NVH and aspects of ergonomics and comfort.

“With a huge amount achieved already, the McLaren Speedtail is well on the way to fulfilling its destiny as the greatest McLaren road car ever.”

The Centre brings together WMG’s (Warwick Manufacturing Group) research expertise and Jaguar Land Rover’s research and engineering capabilities. JLR engineers and WMG researchers will work together at Wellesbourne to design and engineer connected, driverless-capable, prototype electric modular architectures. These will be tested in real-world conditions alongside a specially designed 5G communications network on the University of Warwick’s main campus.

As the center develops, it is expected to play a significant role in transforming the future of UK transport. The new Smart City Mobility Centre will also draw on expertise in battery technology which will be developed by the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) – which will also be located in Coventry and Warwickshire.

The center will also work with the new £20m (US$25.8m) UK Mobility Data Institute being established by WMG in partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to collect, process and analyze transport data generated by the advent of new mobility technologies – such as driverless vehicles and smart charging of electrified vehicles. The project will also coincide with the WMCA development of a multi-city 5G testbed.

The vehicles developed and prototyped at the Smart City Mobility Centre will benefit from regional developments in the 5G communications network that seek to deliver driverless-capable vehicles to improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion and road traffic accidents and benefit the environment.

“This is the first time in any country that such a comprehensive system is being designed and tested,” said WMG chairman, Prof Lord Bhattacharyya.

“This will help integrate plans for transport systems for the future that have the potential to bring significant economic benefits to transform and improve the lives of a great many people who could benefit from even safer, less congested, and more environmentally sustainable transport.”

Wu Zhenglong, Governor of Jiangsu Province; Feng Haiyang, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate-General in Dusseldorf; Lutz Lienenkaemper, Treasury Secretary of North Rhine-Westphalia and other guests attended the signing ceremony.

“Bosch has rich experiences in working with world-class car manufacturers over the years,” said Dr Carsten Breitfeld, CEO and co-founder of Byton.

“We believe Bosch’s expertise in the automotive field will make it one of Byton’s most important partners. As an innovator in the smart electric vehicle industry, Byton is committed to providing consumers with the safest and most reliable electric mobility solutions.

“The partnership will allow the two sides to share resources, complement advantages, and drive business innovation to jointly offer the customers products with better quality and price.”

“The automotive industry is undergoing fundamental changes like electrification and going smart,” added Dr Daniel Kirchert, president and co-founder of Byton.

“Both China and Germany are at the forefront of this evolution. As a brand rooted in China with a global reach, Byton is leveraging international talent and technology resources to succeed in China’s innovative environment.

“Jiangsu boasts a strong industrial base and a favorable business environment, making it the ideal place for Byton’s growth. In the future, Byton will also help Jiangsu build a smart new energy industry cluster.”

According to the agreement, Byton and Bosch will regularly carry out technical exchanges so as to jointly build up an industry leading processing and quality standard.

Meanwhile both parties also intend to establish platforms to carry out in-depth cooperation in multiple fields, including brand promotion, product marketing, technology promotion, quality training, customer service, and personnel training.

Byton’s first volume production model, based on its premium smart SUV concept, the Byton M-Byte Concept, will be officially launched in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will be manufactured at the factory in Nanjing, Jiangsu and sold worldwide.

Based on the Q60 sports coupe, the vehicle includes a number of engineering developments over a 2017 Geneva design study project of the same name – including weight reduction, motorsport-inspired interior and aero bodywork updates.

Significantly, Project Black S also includes, according to the OEM, the world’s first energy recovery system that harvests energy under braking and acceleration.

The dual-hybrid technology is derived from Formula 1 systems and engineered specifically for a road vehicle. The car’s VR30 twin-turbo V6 engine was developed using two heat energy harvesting systems: the motor generator unit – heat (MGU-H) which develops electricity under acceleration; and the motor generator unit – kinetic (MGU-K), which harvests energy under braking. These technical definitions are mainstays of current Formula 1 powertrain technology.

Feasibility and performance testing will continue into 2019.

“Infiniti has reached another milestone on its road to electrification,” said Infiniti president Roland Krueger. “Building on the strength and success of the electric vehicle expertise of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Infiniti is showing the Project Black S, a high-performance prototype with F1 technology resulting from collaboration within the Alliance.

“The Project Black S represents the very top end of electrification in the Alliance portfolio, and is another example of Infiniti’s entrepreneurial spirit on its journey to electrification from 2021 onward.

“Project Black S utilizes high power and smart energy management from advanced powertrains, a thrilling dynamic capability on road and track, and a performance-oriented aesthetic.

“A collaborative venture between Infiniti and the Renault Sport Formula One Team, the Project Black S prototype is a testbed for new ideas and technologies, demonstrating how our Alliance partnerships could make our ambitious visions a reality.”