Allison Transmission has announced the opening of its new Vehicle Environmental Test (VET) center in Indianapolis, which it says will allow year-round testing.
“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 of 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 with an efficient and effective tool for next-generation innovation and collaboration.”
The 60,000ft2 (5,600m2) facility houses a hot soak chamber, a cold soak chamber and two chassis dyno-equipped environmental chambers capable of simulating a broad range of duty cycles, environmental conditions from -54°F to +125°F (-48°C to +52°C), altitudes up to 18,000ft, simulated grades and other on-road conditions.
Allison also says that the 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.