Automotive Testing: Applications and solutions for measuring vehicle efficiency

Electric and hybrid vehicles need to achieve low overall emissions, maximum efficiency, longer travel distances, and high reliability to gain acceptance from the increasingly savvy consumer. With engine, drivetrains and transmission, electrical electronic and communication systems, steering, braking and suspension, fuel systems – all striving for individual and system-wide optimization of efficiency, emissions and experience, automotive manufacturers have their task cut out for them.

As advances in power semiconductors, charging technologies and drivetrain systems offer an optimistic outlook for electric car affordability, manufacturers are looking to optimize powertrains, vehicle communications, braking efficiency, suspension systems and more. To achieve lower emissions, greater efficiency and longer distances, automotive manufacturers will need reliable measurement solutions to extract accurate and actionable insights across the development lifecycle.

This eBook document explores some of the key areas for extracting efficiencies within the automotive system along with recommendations for measurement solutions based on application use case.

The major systems being explored in this article are:

• Charging – of battery, charging monitoring systems, regenerative braking
• Powertrain – the power inverter sub-system for power delivery, and associated control signals
• Motors – Three-phase brushless DC motors used in various applications
• Steering systems - Steering characteristics and Electronic Power Steering (EPS)