Element has installed in-ground reactive mass bedplates at its Troy, Michigan, laboratory, increasing the facility’s capacity for electric vehicle testing.
Electric vehicles and their components are typically heavier than internal combustion vehicles and require larger, in-ground bedplates to carry out reactive mass testing, a method used to assess the safety of a full vehicle or component. Specimens are placed on a frame which is anchored to the bedplate, then subjected to actual and extreme driving conditions in order to identify the point of failure.
The new 85-foot by 16-foot bedplate area can accommodate loads of up to 50,000 lbs. and increases the laboratory’s overall capacity to 7,908 sq. ft. As a result, the facility is able to test multiple full vehicles simultaneously and vehicle manufacturers in the Midwest have better, faster access to comprehensive testing solutions for even the most advanced vehicle designs.
Rick Sluiters, EVP Americas at Element, said: “This is a new age for automotive manufacturers in the Midwest and we are thrilled to support our customers in bringing new and improved products to market as electric vehicles become the standard.
“This is just one of our many commitments to the electrified future of vehicle testing and we will seek to make continuous, proactive improvements to our Å·ÃÀÊìÅ®ÂÒÂ×, capacity, and technologies as vehicles undergo electrical redesigns and manufacturers rely on Element for advanced testing.”
Located in the Detroit metropolitan area, Element Troy provides testing and engineering services to manufacturers and leading suppliers in the passenger car, light truck, bus, off-highway and military vehicle sectors.