FCA US Invests $2.5 Million On A 4x4 Dynamometer
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ climatic test cell has been upgraded with a 4x4 dyno for testing the growing number of 4x4 and AWD vehicles in its product range.
The front dyno can handle up to 350 horsepower, while the rear dyno is able to withstand loads of up to 650 hp. The drive cell can reach temperatures of 40 below zero and blast wind gusts of up to 160 km/h. It can also create snow, rain and blizzard-like conditions in order to test how a vehicle copes with snow clogging its air intakes.
According to FCA, it can now test the 4x4 capabilities of a vehicle during a snowstorm in one cell, while right beside in another cell, a vehicle can be baked at 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Called the Chrysler Technology Center, this 5.4-million square-foot facility is located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and is obviously used for evaluating the automaker’s cars and trucks in a variety of climatic conditions, and is the biggest headquarters of any kind in North America, with the exception of the Pentagon.
Fourteen thousand employees currently work at the CTC, which has been running 24/7 ever since it opened in 1991. In addition, FCA claims the site produces no landfill waste.
