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FEV, Inc. Launches Area's First Full Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Development Center

Posted on: Monday, 2 March 2009, 06:30 CST

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- FEV, Inc., (FEV) a leading developer of advanced powertrain and vehicle technologies, announced today that it has commissioned the area's first full Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Development Center (HEVDC) at its Auburn Hills campus. The HEVDC was developed over a period of two years, with the final phase, the installation of a dedicated chassis dynamometer for hybrid and electric vehicle testing, which will be completed this month. FEV invested approximately $8 million into development of the HEVDC, which became fully operational with the installation of the vehicle chassis dyno. The announcement was made by Gary Rogers, FEV, Inc. president and CEO.

"The launch of the HEVDC comes at a critical time for our customers," said Rogers. "The market, whether by congressional or state mandate, or by consumer choice, is headed in a greener direction, and it's headed there quickly. If the infrastructure to develop and thoroughly test hybrid and electric technology is not in place soon, even immediately, then we risk losing precious time and dollars in getting it on the street, or worse, putting technology out there that will not live up to its promise."

The HEVDC, which is the North American part of FEV's worldwide competence in hybrid & EV, is an evolution of FEV's extensive development efforts in the areas of hybrid and electric vehicles, and is fully capable of facilitating the development of all propulsion technologies related to tomorrow's vehicles. Enabling technology includes:

• Hybrid powertrain test cells
• Hybrid/EV transmission test rigs
• Electric Motor test rigs
• Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Chassis Dyno
• Electric Charging Station for PHEVs and EVs

The electric charging station is believed to be the first in Michigan, and will also be used to develop and validate PHEV charging systems.

All of the testing facilities are connected to multiple battery emulation systems to facilitate hybrid and electric vehicle development without the need to use individual batteries, thus avoiding downtime while batteries are recharged, or not available. FEV is the first company to employ a battery emulation system in conjunction with a chassis dyno in order to test full vehicle functionality of hybrid and electric systems.

FEV used its extensive knowledge in developing test systems to design the HEVDC, with several pieces of technology produced internally. The facility has the capability to test hybrid and electric propulsion systems of near limitless size. The battery emulation system can provide up to 900 volts (current production hybrids use approximately 300 volts).

FEV anticipates an increase in staffing to accommodate the activity level of the HEVDC, including the addition of highly specialized engineering and technical personnel.

About FEV, Inc.

The FEV Group is an internationally recognized powertrain and vehicle engineering company that supplies the global transportation industry. FEV offers a complete range of engineering services, providing support across the globe to customers in the design, analysis, prototyping, powertrain and transmission development, as well as vehicle integration, calibration and homologation for advanced internal combustion gasoline-, diesel-, and alternative-fueled powertrains. FEV also designs, develops and prototypes advanced vehicle / powertrain electronic control systems and hybrid-electric engine concepts that address future emission and fuel economy standards. The FEV Test Systems division is a global supplier of advanced test cell, instrumentation and test equipment. The FEV Group employs a staff of over 1,800 highly skilled specialists at advanced technical centers on three continents. FEV, Inc. employs approximately 300 personnel at FEV's North American Technical Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

SOURCE FEV, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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