DETROIT: Stellantis unveiled its innovative Moving Ground Plane (MGP) technology – a US$29.5 million (RM129mil) investment – at the company’s research and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The upgraded wind tunnel will be able to measure and reduce airflow resistance from wheels and tires, which can account for up to 10% of total real-world aerodynamic drag.
Optimizing aerodynamic efficiency is crucial in the effort to extend the driving range of electrified vehicles on a single charge.
This enhancement directly contributes to improved efficiency, benefiting customers with longer EV ranges and potentially reducing battery sizes, which in turn could lead to cost and weight savings.
“Range is a core consideration for customers who are transitioning to cleaner mobility through battery power,” said senior vice president and head of North America engineering technical centers Mark Champine.
“That’s what makes this investment so critical. By reducing drag, we improve electric-vehicle range and, ultimately, the overall customer driving experience.”
The upgrade to the company’s innovative aero-acoustic wind tunnel simulates real-world travel while allowing test vehicles to remain static. Belts suspended by cushions of air enable wheel movement at all four corners, while a fifth belt runs longitudinally beneath the vehicle, mimicking on-road travel conditions.
This realistic simulation allows for more precise testing and aerodynamic improvements.
“For EVs, a range increase enabled by improved aerodynamics can lead to potential battery-size reductions,” said Champine.
“This has positive implications from more efficient packaging-to-weight savings that, in the end, will enhance the customer experience.”
The investment in MGP technology will benefit multiple Stellantis brands, regardless of where they are sold or how they are powered, and will gain from aerodynamic optimisation.
The upgraded wind tunnel also provides a valuable complement to virtual development tools.
“This apparatus is a great addition to virtual tools, which may not account for factors such as tire deformation that can compromise aerodynamics,” said Champine. “With this technology we can replicate such conditions and capture real-time data to explore solutions.”
The new facility also adds vital automation capability. Changes to wheelbase and track testing, which can take as much as two hours in conventional wind tunnels, can now be done in minutes.
The combined outcome of real-time data collection and increased automation: increased speed to market.
While Stellantis uses MGP technology at other facilities around the world, those sites are focused on smaller vehicle platforms.
The upgraded Auburn Hills facility will be capable of accommodating larger vehicles, particularly those based on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms.
MGP technology is a key enabler in the development of BEVs, as outlined in the company’s Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, and will account for 50% of Stellantis U.S. sales and 100% of European sales by 2030.
Globally, Stellantis aims to offer more than 75 BEVs by that time, accounting for 5 million vehicles sold annually.
The investment underscores Stellantis’ commitment to becoming carbon net-zero by 2038 as part of its leadership in climate-change mitigation.
The upgraded facility is part of an estimated US$85 million (RM370mil) commitment included in the 2019 UAW contract.
It includes a new annex for staging test vehicles and a new outbuilding to support the MGP system, which uses high-pressure compressed air to drive the wheel and center belts at speeds up to 225kph.
The entire process is carefully controlled by electromechanical actuators.
The measuring platform and turntable that comprise the heart of the MGP equipment weighs 137 tons, rests on a concrete foundation and are supported by a specially designed steel frame.
The wind tunnel, capable of generating wind speeds of more than 257kph, has been in continuous operation since 2002.
