General Motors is now able to accelerate and verify fuel-saving designs earlier in the vehicle development process thanks to a new US$30m reduced scale wind tunnel test facility at its Technical Center in Michigan, USA.
The 35,000ft² facility aerodynamically tests clay models up to 40% of the scale of a full sized vehicle, and is equipped with a conveyor-style rolling road system that simulates real-world highway driving conditions up to 155mph.
Testing reduced-sized vehicles on a simulated road enables engineers to reduce wind drag in a full-size vehicle design.
It is located next to GM’s full-scale wind tunnel that has been in operation since 1980 and which will be upgraded next year with its own full-scale rolling road system and other improvements.
November 18, 2015