Continental is first supplier to receive Nevada license for autonomous-vehicle testing
Continental on Dec. 19 became the first automotive supplier to be granted a license from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to test autonomous vehicles on the state’s public roads. Continental’s testing license is for the company’s highly automated vehicle equipped with an integrated vehicle-control and safety system consisting of four short-range radar sensors, one long-range radar, a stereo camera, and a Motion Domain Controller interfacing with the vehicle’s engine, brakes, and steering. The testing license followed approval of Continental's safety plans, employee training, system functions, and accident reporting protocols by the Nevada DMV’s Autonomous Review Committee. The actual vehicle license plate is red and includes an “infinity” symbol so it can be easily recognized by law enforcement and the public. Continental officials noted in a release that public-roads testing will enable the company to launch series production of partially automated driving systems by 2016, with the goal of fully automated systems ready for production by 2020-25.
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The modified VW Passat used by Continental for highly automated vehicle development has racked up more than 15,000 mi (24,140 km) of testing thus far. It is shown here at the Nevada DMV without its official red license plate.
Wireless EV charging advances with Evatran testing program
The City of Raleigh is the first municipality nationwide to join a special program to test wireless electric vehicle charging technology. It joins six other participants to date in the second phase of Evatran's so-called Apollo Program launching early in 2013 to further demonstrate the company's technology, which it brands Plugless Power. Its second-generation "production-intent" model will be used in this phase, with three of the 20-30 total units to be installed in Raleigh municipal parking lots. Evatran will retrofit two Nissan Leafs and one Chevrolet Volt in the city's fleet for use with the charging system. Five prototype wireless charging units were used in the first phase of the Apollo Program, which involved six partners (among them Google and Hertz, which are also participating in the second phase). In a separate matter, the company said it will begin distributing its Plugless Power units in the spring; they will be the first wireless charging units available to individual Leaf and Volt owners.
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Two prototype wireless charging stations are located at Evatran's technology center in Morrisville, NC.
SAE offers new credential program for engineers
SAE International is introducing a personnel credentialing program that enables engineers, product development technicians, and associated personnel to earn a Certificate of Competency or Certification in the Design Review Based on Failure Modes (DRBFM) methodology. Created by industry professionals for industry professionals, the program was developed and segmented into three distinct levels to meet the needs of specific personnel. Exam questions align with the body of knowledge to address each of the three levels. The DRBFM Process and Application Certificate of Competency is designed for individuals who require training and validation of knowledge in DRBFM process methodology. Job roles include product engineers, manufacturing engineers, quality engineers, supplier quality engineers, validation and test engineers, and facilitators, trainers, and consultants in all industries. This credential requires completing an open-enrollment training course and passing an online exam. Registration is now open for the December 2012 offering of this program. For more information, contact SAE International at certification@sae.org or visit https://www.saecredentialingalliance.org/go/drbfm.
Autoliv expanding China tech center
Autoliv said Oct. 19 that it will expand its technical center for active safety and vehicle restraint development in Shanghai, China. The expansion will enable the company to increase its crash testing, engineering of passive and active safety systems, and global core airbag development in China. Currently, 6% of Autoliv’s 7200 employees in China work in engineering and product development, which includes vehicle crash testing. These 430 employees represent 10% of Autoliv’s global head count in research, development, and engineering. The current tech center will grow to 20,500 m2 (220,600 ft2) in the expansion. The company is adding an additional state-of-the-art crash simulation test track and office space for 130 more technical experts.
GM opens largest proving ground in China
General Motors and its Chinese partners (SAIC, Shanghai GM, and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center) on Sept. 22 opened what they say is China’s largest automotive proving ground. Located in Guangde County, Anhui, the $253 million facility allows for 67 driving conditions over 60 km (37 mi) of test roads on a site covering 5.67 km2 (2.18 mi2). The proving ground can carry out development, validation, certification, quality control evaluation, load data collection, and analysis for vehicles less than 7.5 ton (6.8 t). It can accommodate up to 140 vehicles for testing simultaneously, and about 20 million km (12.4 million mi) worth of testing is expected to be conducted annually. It contains eight specific test areas: an oval track, vehicle dynamics test area, long straightaway, ride and handling loop, noise test road, durability test area, corrosion test area, and hill test area. In addition, it has 23,000 m2 (247,569 ft2) of auxiliary space for labs, repair facilities, and private workshops.
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The $253 million facility allows for 67 driving conditions over 60 km (37 mi) of test roads on a site covering 5.67 km2 (2.18 mi2).
GM no dummy in safety research
General Motors is advancing the state of the art in testing of rear-seat crash test dummies. One of its crash-test engineers, Barbara Bunn, recently developed and conducted tests to evaluate the ability of a new dummy named BioRID to produce consistent measurements when subjected to identical tests. The United States Council for Automotive Research has recognized Bunn for her execution of the test matrix. To create the test matrix, Bunn, who chairs the Occupant Safety Research Partnership’s Rear Impact Dummy Task Group, collaborated with engineers from Chrysler, Ford, and Humanetics Innovative Systems, which manufactures the BioRID. She designed the construction of a crash simulator sled to simultaneously test four BioRIDs, working with engineers from Porsche, Volkswagen, Daimler, Chrysler, and Ford to determine seating postures and other test criteria. The tests subjected the dummies to a low-speed rear impact simulation in nearly identical seats, and collected measurements of crash forces on areas such as the upper and lower neck. The team compared its measurements to data from similar tests conducted by other automaker labs in Europe and submitted its findings to regulators worldwide for consideration.
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GM engineer Barbara Bunn works with BioRID, a dummy designed by Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden, for seat restraint assessment. It is distinguished by its sophisticated spinal column with 24 vertebra simulators that allow it to sit naturally and demonstrates humanlike neck movement in rear-end collisions.
New IIHS test aims to increase protection in frontal crashes
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has raised the bar with its new small overlap frontal crash test. With a 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy in the driver seat, 25% of the car’s front end on the driver side strikes a 5-ft-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. These small overlap crashes, which affect the outer edges not protected by crush-zone structures, are responsible for a considerable percentage of the 10,000 deaths in frontal crashes each year. The test utilizes three rating categories: structure, restraints and kinematics, and dummy injury measures. Of the vehicles tested, the Volvo S60 performed the best, permitting only a few inches of intrusion into the occupant compartment due to reinforcement of the upper rails and a steel cross member below the instrument panel. Common problems with other vehicles included high occupant compartment intrusion and unsafe occupant motion, including dummies that missed the airbag or moved too far forward toward the A-pillar. After 2013, the IIHS intends to add the small overlap frontal crash test to its list of evaluations for the Top Safety Pick award.
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Of the 11 midsize luxury and near-luxury cars tested, only three scored good or acceptable in the new small overlap frontal crash test from IIHS.
EU adopts two regulations on truck safety
The European Union in April adopted two regulations designed to enhance the safety of trucks with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3500 kg and buses with more than eight passenger seats, according to InterRegs, an online resource for global vehicle safety and emissions regulations. One specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) that detect the possibility of a collision with a preceding vehicle; warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals; and if the driver takes no action, automatically apply the vehicle’s brakes. The regulation also specifies two levels of performance to be achieved by AEBS. Fitment of AEBS meeting the "level 1" performance requirements becomes mandatory from Nov. 1, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. The compliance dates for "level 2" are Nov. 1, 2016 for new types of vehicles and Nov. 1, 2018 for all new vehicles. The other regulation specifies the technical requirements and test procedures for lane departure warning systems (LDWS) that detect unintentional drift of the vehicle out of its travel lane and warn the driver by a combination of optical, acoustic, or haptic signals. Fitment LDWS becomes mandatory from Nov. 15, 2013 for new types of vehicles and from Nov. 1, 2015 for all new vehicles. Both regulations contain a list of specific vehicle types, such as urban buses and off-road vehicles, that are exempt. "New types of vehicles" are models being launched for the first time, and "new vehicles" are new vehicles being registered for the first time.
It's winter year-round at new test center
Test World Oy is building what it claims is the world's first year-round indoor winter test center, just where one would expect it—within the Arctic Circle. The facility “will remove one of the biggest bottlenecks in the development of vehicles: winter test dependence on the season and prevailing weather,” Harri Eskelinen, President and CEO of the Finland-based company, said in a news release. “We will be able to provide all the test conditions the automotive industry requires year-round.” The 30,000-m² (320,000-ft²) roofed facility will be constructed within the company’s existing Mellatracks outdoor proving ground in Ivalo, located at a latitude of about 69° north in Finnish Lapland, roughly 300 km (200 mi) to the cold side of the Arctic Circle. Vehicle and tire testing will be accommodated in the climate-controlled facility, the first phase of which is to be operational by the end of 2012.
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Construction on what the company calls Test World Indoor was scheduled to begin this month, with the first phase of 3000 m² (30,000 ft²) slated to be operational by the end of 2012.
EU approves test to prevent grid problems from vehicle charging
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) recently approved a measure designed to ensure proper electromagnetic compatibility between the electricity grid and vehicles (battery-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric types) that are being recharged via a plug, according to InterRegs, an online resource for global vehicle safety and emissions regulations. Compliance with these new requirements (in the form of the 04 series of amendments to Regulation No. 10) becomes mandatory from Oct. 28, 2014, for new types of vehicle and from Oct. 28, 2016, for all new vehicles.
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