FEV begins operations at world’s largest development and test center for high voltage batteries
FEV, a leading independent international service provider of vehicle and powertrain development for hardware and software, announced that it will finalize the commissioning of a state-of-the-art development and test center (eDLP) for high-voltage batteries for passenger and commercial vehicles at the Sandersdorf-Brehna location in Germany in the third quarter.
The new development center will have the largest operational, independent battery testing facility in the world. Systems for validating all (international) environmental and mechanical tests, as well as four bunkers will be installed. The 12,000 square meter complex contains facilities for the electrical testing of both modules and complete high-voltage batteries. This includes a test chamber volume of approximately 600 m³, distributed over 54 climatic chambers with an electrical output of 30,000 kW. A fire hall for abuse tests, along with an associated disassembly and diagnosis workshop complete the spectrum. Together, these facilities cover every evaluation necessary for series production. The state of Saxony-Anhalt funded the project with more than EUR6 million (USD6.5 million).
“This strategic investment will enable us to offer our customers a globally unique development service for passenger and commercial vehicles at one location. All common test methods for batteries are covered – in life expectancy, environmental and transport tests, as well as crash safety for cells, modules and packs,” said Stefan Pischinger, president and CEO of the FEV Group.
The energy required to test components is provided almost entirely by power generated from renewable resources. Essential for this is a roof area of 12,000 m², fully covered by photovoltaic panels with an output capacity of over 900 kWp.
“The facility therefore operates in a climate-friendly manner using a zero CO2 emissions approach,” said Pischinger.
With the opening of the eDLP, FEV is expanding its development expertise for future mobility at the Sandersdorf-Brehna location. The seven pure-electric and more than 10 hybrid powertrain test rigs in the nearby continuous testing center (DLP), only 9 km away, complement FEV’s full service in electromobility development.
With this investment, the Central German Metropolitan Region will also benefit from FEV’s global growth, as the Managing Directors of the eDLP, Christoph Szasz and Hans-Dieter Sonntag, emphasized: “The opening of this battery development center created almost 100 new jobs, strengthening FEV’s position as an important employer in Saxony-Anhalt with a total of around 350 employees.”
FEV already has relevant experience in setting up test and development centres. In March, the company opened the Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) in the English city of Coventry together with Coventry University. In 2018, FEV expanded its battery test centre near Paris and added a new test centre to its site in Alsdorf to complete emission and range tests following the latest global regulatory standards.
