Driven to test
When completed, the 3810-m2 (41,000-ft2) Ann Arbor facility will house six alternating-current dynamometers; 14 eddy-current dynamometers; motorcycle and off-road vehicle emissions testing; passenger-car and light-truck vehicle emissions testing (employing a four-wheel-drive chassis dynamometer); and gasoline, diesel, and alternative-fuel capabilities. "We will offer a full range of engine and powertrain durability testing and catalyst development for all types of engines," noted Rhoades. "Like the Plymouth test center, the new AVL facilities will be able to test engines using any type of fuel. In conjunction with the main site in Plymouth, AVL will have some of the most comprehensive non-OEM engine design and development capabilities offered in North America, including capability for a complete range of diesel engines."
 AVL's new Ann Arbor, MI, facility will include 20 test sites for powertrain validation testing. |
The ability to assist a client from the concept stage through final production release—such as the work done by the Powertrain Engineering division of AVL-List GmbH (parent company of AVL) on the 1.8-L, 168-kW (225-hp) engine for the Audi TT Coupe and Roadster—underscores a unique bond between an independent company and an automaker. "Because we design, develop, and manufacture test equipment and test-cell systems, we think that's a unique advantage over our competitors. We can give the customer a better overall execution of the services we provide, and that includes design, analysis, research and development, and testing," said Rhoades.
Spreading the scope of available services opens the business door of opportunity. For more than 80 years, Ricardo, Inc. has been developing and testing powertrains. "Right now, many new engines are coming to market. It's the result of the 10- to 15-year cycle for engine redesigns," said Huw Morris, Director of Performance and Emissions and Noise Vibration and Harshness for Ricardo in Belleville, MI. The predictable timetable in part prompted Ricardo executives to commission additional test cells at the Belleville facility. Completed in 2000, the four newest test cells provide transient test cycles and multi-mode steady-state testing as a means of conducting emissions and combustion analysis as well as assisting with mechanical component and system development activities. They are equipped with McClure low-inertia, alternating-current dynamometers—three 250-kW (335-hp) engine dynamometers and one 375-kW (503-hp) engine dynamometer. "We can simulate high-speed to low-speed gear changes very quickly to access fuel consumption and emissions. With the low-inertia, ac dynamometers, we don't need vehicles," said Morris. "We're also developing vehicle calibration on an engine dynamometer test bed, something that is usually done on-vehicle. We can do a lot more testing without the need for an entire vehicle, which can be costly in itself."
Earlier this year, Ricardo added a manufacturing process team to complement its design, prototype, development, and testing specialists. "Our team of manufacturing technology experts work in project centers—at Ricardo or at client facilities—to develop and optimize processes and factory capital expenditures for new powertrain programs," noted Gordon Hensley, Manufacturing Technology Manager for Ricardo. The company supports a number of new-engine launch programs in the U.S. and Canada.
 A V6 gasoline engine undergoes transient performance development testing at Ricardo in Belleville, MI. |
Ricardo's testing business is moving in a new direction. "Systems testing—for example, transmission and engine testing done in tandem—is on the increase, and so is hybrid-electric engine testing," said Morris, adding, "Over the next two years, 15 to 20% of Ricardo business for testing in North America will be systems testing and hybrid-electric testing. Right now, it's less than 5% of our testing business."
The profit margin for testing services can be small, which is one reason why independent companies with a range of capabilities pursue a broader role. With a history of more than 30 years jointly developing engines, one of Cosworth Technology, Inc.'s latest projects was co-developing a high-performance engine for the 2002 SVT Focus with Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering Team. A team of engineers at Cosworth Technology in Novi, MI, as well as Northampton, England, worked on the SVT Focus project.
"This is exactly the type of project—modifications to an existing vehicle to produce a special-edition version—that OEMs will be wanting to outsource more and more in the future. Because a special-edition vehicle is not a regular occurrence, outsourcing is a way for an OEM to avoid carrying internal overhead," said Jonathan Hurden, Operations Director for Cosworth Technology in the U.S.
 The engine powering the 2002 Ford SVT Focus was a joint project between Cosworth Technology and Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering Team. |
The high-performance, Ford Zetec, DOHC, four-cylinder powerplant marks the first jointly developed North American production engine by Ford and Cosworth Technology. Compared with the base engine, the SVT Focus powerplant has improved power output—127 kW (170 hp) vs. 97 kW (130 hp) on the standard I4 engine—and delivers more torque—198 N•m (146 lb•ft) at 5500 rpm vs. 183 N•m (135 lb•ft) at 4500 rpm. The SVT Focus engine has 85% of its torque available at 2200 rpm. Even with a broader torque range and power boost, the engine meets the standards of the National Low Emission Vehicle program, complies with California's Low Emission Vehicle standards, and certifies to Stage IV emission standards in Europe. Cosworth Technology conducted various vehicle emissions tests on the SVT Focus—LEV emissions development testing, lab development testing to validate 0.020 evaporative monitor, testing to validate misfire-monitor functionality up to the engine's 7300-rpm redline, and testing to validate all other OBD II monitors being used. Cosworth Technology in the U.S. and UK did all development in-laboratory testing, except the 0.020 evaporative monitor, which was done only in the U.S.
While not all testing jobs are tied to an independent provider being involved in full-fledge development programs, a reputation for conducting accurate testing practices can help land such projects. "We have to provide reliable, repeatable data; that's completely fundamental to getting more business," Hurden said. The number of testing jobs continues to boom for independents. "Overall, there will be more and more work outsourced for testing. For an OEM, testing gets to be financially not viable—unless you're a big enough company," Hurden said.
