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Electric Motor and Drivetrain (Electric Mobility) Testing is a critical part of bringing any electric drivetrain into production. In this paper the requirements for an electric drivetrain test cell are discussed. The implementations of such test cells are described and examples of test results are provided. In particular, the energy and power requirements for PM brushless DC dynamometers and a PM brushless Unit Under Test (UUT) connected through a common dc bus are described. Simulation of the set-up is developed using MATLAB/Simulink and verified using empirical data from the test bench. The data used represents various steady state load conditions during durability test cycles. This “Smart Green Technology” concept not only reduces the energy requirement from the grid but also eliminates the inefficiencies related to putting energy back on the grid.

Since the 1990's regulatory requirements for On-Board-Diagnostics (OBD) have continuously evolved with an increasing application of advanced electronics and control systems that have been adopted for automotive applications. The current and future demands on emissions and performance requirements are pushing the envelope with respect to management of complex control software strategies, hardware components and their interactions. This further challenges the implementation of OBD. In order to build a robust monitor for a complex system which has minimum risk of false detection, a thorough understanding of both system and components is required. In this paper, several methods will be presented that can be utilized to achieve a successful and robust diagnostic system implementation. Implementation begins with a discussion of the major challenges to achieve consistent performance in the base system control.

The growing complexity of powertrain control strategies, software, and hardware is proving to be a significant challenge to the engineering community with regard to managing effective optimization to meet the desired performance. With an increased emphasis on shorter development time and the use of additional sensors and actuators becoming common, the increased dependence on physical models and use of complex interdependent control systems demands a thorough system understanding. This also encourages the use of process improvement tools to assist in an effective engineering process. In this paper, such a tool is discussed in its second phase of development. The Micro-HiL system will be discussed over a wide scope that focuses on the interests of the calibration and development community. The purpose of this paper is to provide an update on the Phase 2 activity of Micro-HiL development; Phase 1 was discussed in-depth at the 2011 SAE World Congress [2011-01-0703].