Allison Transmission recently opened its Vehicle Environmental Test (VET) center to conduct year-round testing, replicating vehicle environments and duty cycles, compressing product development times, and supporting innovation for the industry.
“This facility is a direct reflection of our commitment to advancing new product development technologies and reducing time to market,” said Randy Kirk, senior vice president, product engineering and program management at Allison Transmission. “The VET center will facilitate rapid product development for conventional, alternative fuel, and electric vehicles, providing Allison and our customers an efficient and effective tool for next generation innovation and collaboration.”
The 60,000-sq.ft. facility houses a hot soak chamber, a cold soak chamber, and two chassis dyne-equipped environmental chambers capable of simulating a broad range of duty cycles, environmental conditions from negative 54 degrees to 125 degrees Fahrenheit, altitudes up to 18,000 feet, simulated grades, and other on-road conditions. The VET center can accommodate most commercial on-highway, off-highway, and wheeled defense vehicle applications, supporting testing for a wide-range of propulsion systems, including conventional powertrains, alternative fuel, electric hybrid, fully electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. It is located on the campus of Allison Transmission’s global headquarters in Indianapolis, is the only one of its kind in the Midwest, according to the company, and is truly unique in offering this range of capabilities for public use.
“We are excited to have this facility that will provide our customers and partners enhanced capabilities to conduct full-vehicle testing by replicating environments and duty cycles all in one centralized location, allowing them to bring new and innovative technology and vehicle systems to market faster and more efficiently,” said Rohan Barua, vice president of North America sales for Allison Transmission. “For players in our industry, this translates into a competitive advantage, as innovation drives the industry forward.”
The VET facilitates immediate evaluation and responses to issues under controlled conditions that ensure the desired operating environments can be isolated, tested, and replicated real time. This capability provides Allison and its partners with a unique advantage in the development of new products. The VET center is equipped to help the company’s engineers, OEM partners, body builders, suppliers, and fleet owners innovate their vehicles, optimize performance, and accelerate time to market, by testing safely and confidently in a single, environment-controlled, and seasonally independent location.
