Stellantis has upgraded the wind tunnel situated close to its U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, in its quest to spice up vary of electrical automobiles by decreasing drag.
The automaker on Wednesday stated it invested $29.5 million within the web site so as to add shifting floor aircraft expertise, primarily a rolling floor.
Every wheel will get its personal belt that operates similar to a treadmill, whereas a fifth belt runs longitudinally beneath the car, which mimics on-road journey circumstances.
The setup permits the wheels of the take a look at car to rotate at lifelike speeds moderately than stay static, which allows engineers to assemble extra correct measurements of airflow resistance from the wheels and tires. The wind tunnel, which has been in operation since 2002, is able to producing wind speeds of greater than 160 mph.
Stellantis wind tunnel in Auburn Hills, Michigan
Stellantis stated airflow resistance from wheels and tires alone can have an effect on real-world aerodynamic drag by as much as 10%. Decreasing this could enhance vary and in consequence might result in smaller batteries, which in flip might result in value and weight financial savings, the automaker added.
Stellantis already makes use of shifting floor aircraft expertise at different websites, although these websites are targeted on smaller car platforms. Engineers on the Auburn Hills web site will give attention to bigger automobiles, notably these based mostly on the STLA Massive and STLA Body platforms.
The funding comes as Stellantis appears to curb prices in different areas. Along with decreasing workers, Stellantis can be within the strategy of winding up a take a look at facilty in Yucca, Arizona. CEO Carlos Tavares, who will retire in early 2026 on the finish of his present contract, additionally warned in July that a few of Stellantis’ 14 manufacturers may very well be dropped in the event that they proceed to underperform. His warning got here after the corporate reported earlier within the month a decline of 48% in internet income year-over-year, principally on account of declining gross sales within the U.S.
