Automotive Engineering - May 2021 - 11

TECHNOLOGY REPORT

ELECTRIFICATION

Mahle Powertrain intensifying e-mobility focus
Mahle's Powertrain group (MPT) is underway with an
ongoing €12M investment in new testing and development
facilities as part of a forward-looking strategy begun over a
decade ago. The latest infrastructure investment is directed at
improving services offered to its wide OEM clientele,
strengthening the supplier's e-mobility focus. New facilities
stemming from the outlay include a battery development
center and a second Real Driving Emissions (RDE) install,
both located with MPT headquarters in the U.K.
Based in Northampton, Mahle's MPT subsidiary has more
than 400 employees specializing in engineering services for
the design/development/integration of advanced internal
combustion engine (ICE) and electrified powertrains. The
group operates eight technical centers in the U.K., Germany,
U.S., China and Brazil. 
  

Battery development center 

BOTH IMAGES: MAHLE

MPT will bring online what it's labeling as " Phase 2 " of a test
center for traction batteries in Northampton in the third quarter of 2021. The first phase of MPT's unit designed to test batteries under various climatic conditions went into operation in
2019. The new facility will have a dedicated area for the construction of battery modules and three climatic chambers for
testing complete battery packs. The setup is designed to validate, measure and optimize charging and discharging processes under dynamic and steady-state climatic conditions. 
 The new infrastructure will boost MPT's electrical test capability to a total of 1.25MW across six separate rigs and chambers.
The test environments can be controlled to replicate realworld environments, with temperatures between -40°C and
80°C (-40°to 176°F), and humidity control between 24 and 93%. 
  " The elusive goal that has been mooted by the industry is
the 'million-mile' battery, "  said Derek Wise, chief engineer for

The latest MPT ePowertrain investments are part of an ongoing strategy
focusing on the entire battery-development process, from build,
simulation and analysis to real-world testing.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING

Mahle Powertrain group (MPT) will bring its second test center for
traction batteries online in Northampton, U.K. in Q3 2021.
build and test.  " It is not simply battery chemistry that is holding back advancement, but the control systems, cooling and
charging rates, which have already advanced significantly in
recent years as the industry better understands the technology. This next phase will provide our vehicle manufacturer
and Tier-1 customers with vital battery technology insight. "  
 

New RDE test chamber 

In addition to the battery testing expansion, MPT will open a
second RDE test chamber in Northampton, providing
space under a wide range of climatic conditions, including the
ability to simulate solar loading. The new test chamber will be
equipped with a four-wheel-drive chassis dyno, a battery emulator and safety measures to enable testing of hydrogenpowered vehicles. The set up will include blast walls and a
domed chamber roof for stray H2 gas collection. 
 The investment was prompted by heavy demand for the center's original RDE facility, which opened in 2018. Mahle research
estimates 73% of passenger cars globally will still make use of an
ICE as part of their propulsion system, and 50% will still employ
ICE by 2040. MPT expects demand for the RDE test chambers to
continue as ICE development refocuses on hybridized units.
" Given that statistic, it therefore made perfect sense to have a
second chamber with a battery emulator suitable for EV development, " said David Pates, MPT's head of engineering. 
The latest MPT developments are part of the company's ongoing EV strategy, with additional phases planned to roll out in
2022 focusing on battery-development capabilities. The MPT
goal is to address the entire battery-development process,
from pack build, test, simulation and analysis to real-world testing and strip-down of battery modules. Next year's expansion
will complement MPT's recent investments including a new
powertrain dyno at its Plymouth, Michigan facility and the new
e-axle test facility in Fellbach, Germany.
Paul Seredynski

May 2021 11
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