Source: WABCO
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Safety has always been paramount [at WABCO] when developing technologies for commercial vehicles. However, as the industry advances into vehicle autonomy the safety connotations are heightened in relation to protecting drivers, other road users and cargo. To test effectively requires diverse testing capabilities that simulate a variety of scenarios in a range of environments.
A robust testing infrastructure
To test a new system, it has to be put through a range of scenarios to ensure it’s proven as safe no matter the weather and road conditions a commercial vehicle has to endure. WABCO has invested in specialized test facilities for this purpose.
Each of these test centers features a range of surfaces to simulate likely on-road conditions a vehicle would have to endure.
Additionally, WABCO has also invested in advanced facilities to help develop and prove the technologies for tomorrow WABCO’s four test facilities are spread across the world. This means the technology can be tested in different conditions and environments. These test centers are situated in Rovaniemi, Finland; Jeversen, Germany; Wroclaw, Poland and Chennai, India.
The Wroclaw test center in Poland has recently opened in January 2020. It extends WABCO existing production facilities by 1100 square meters and includes new testing areas and laboratories (880 square meters) — with climatic chambers and three development lines of valve prototypes.
WABCO’s first test track, Rovaniemi, opened in 1988 and plays host to a rigorous winter testing program that sees typical temperature s ranging from -12° C (10,4 °F) down to -40°C (-40°F). This allows WABCO to test its systems in sub-freezing temperatures and on icy, snow-covered roads.
A typical winter test program sees WABCO engineers and technicians log approximately 1,800 man-days for conducting tests. This rigorous testing schedule enables WABCO vehicles fitted with the latest technology to be assessed for performance and safety under extreme conditions.
