An AVL-supplied dynamometer has been installed at the University of Bath in the UK as part of a ground-breaking new Centre for Low Emission Vehicle Research (CLEVeR). Other emissions measurement equipment supplied by AVL, Horiba and Cambustion will also be installed there.
The dynamometer will also enable analysis using the Stahle robot driver, which can be programmed to adopt a range of driving methods. The facility will be used to analyze vehicle performance at a range of temperatures, from -10ºC through to +50ºC, and enables the analysis of emissions when four-wheel-drive functions are used. Hybrid vehicles can also be examined using the dynamometer, with two power supply racks for battery emulation.
Professor Gary Hawley, lead investigator for CLEVeR and Dean of the University of Bath’s Faculty of Engineering, said, “This unique new facility will open avenues of automotive research that were not previously possible. We have established a platform where fundamental academic research can be undertaken alongside applied industry investigations in a world-class environment. CLEVeR will address many of the future research challenges associated with current and future low- and ultra-low carbon vehicles under real-world driving conditions.”
The center, which has cost £1.8m (US$2.75m), is being funded partly by the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council, and the University of Bath, which will contribute £600,000 (US$922,000). It will be fully operational in October 2015.
July 8, 2015
