Test World owner, Millbrook says the year-round operation of its Ivalo facility in Northern Finland gives it a competitive edge when it comes to real-world evaluation for suppliers and OEMs.
The Millbrook-owned test facilities, one outdoor area right by the airport at Ivalo and the second indoor site a few miles away, increase Test World’s capacity and capability for year-round cold weather testing, allow for simultaneous, controlled and repeatable testing on snow, ice, and wet and dry asphalt, 365 days a year.
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The indoor facility comprises an asphalt track, totalling 410m in length, with wet and dry braking and longitudinal aquaplaning areas. This brings the total length of Test World’s indoor test tracks to 1.6km.
They allow speeds in excess of 100km/h, and offer independent control of surface temperature and air temperature. In addition, a series of cold boxes with direct access onto the test tracks can be used to soak vehicles to -40°C prior to testing.
While Millbrook concedes test facilities could be placed in most locations, it is the reliable, consistent access to real snow, which does not totally disappear in Ivalo until May.
“First and foremost it is natural snow,” Millbrook president, Alex Burns told just-auto on the sidelines of the recent Ivalo opening 300 miles north of Helsinki. “The snow which has fallen here we have brought in quite recently. You can’t do this unless you have an area with guaranteed snowfall each year.
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By GlobalData“Particularly the tyre manufacturers come here – it is 2,000 acres – our tyre and vehicle manufacturers are used to [it]. If you would go to artificial snow, you could this in theory anywhere in the world, but particularly tyre manufacturers want real world [while] we have a longer season here. It is a 12-month operation here – most winter proving grounds tend to be seasonal.
“We are the largest winter testing facility in Europe, if not the northern hemisphere [and] pioneered indoor facilities; we are now powering indoor asphalt as well.”
While Burns hailed the good relationship with the local municipality from which it had purchased considerable land for its Ivalo project, the Millbrook chief nonetheless insisted it had provided financial incentives to expand the facility. No exact figures are available for the cost of the asphalt upgrade, but Burns confirmed it was in the “tens of millions of Euros.”
“We have space to put in more workshops – that will probably be the next phase of expansion here,” he added. “The majority of the work here is on tyres and the move towards electrification for tyres is quite a challenge. That drives more development which is something we are here to help with.
“It has resulted in some novel requirements for electric vehicles how [much] energy goes into cabin heating in -10C for example. You can cool a car to -40C here doing highly cold start work. Electrification is a huge issue – we see megatrends as an opportunity.
“Our business model is to provide test facilities for people who are developing batteries, electric motors and tyres. We see opportunity to help them reduce cost of development and make sure we can provide them with bang up to date facilities to do that. We will tailor a facility for manufacturers if that is what they require.
“Having the ability to do validation tests is a seal of approval – to provide fully individual test results.”
Test World offers a range of vehicle testing opportunities, including powertrain driveability, vehicle system operability, braking, traction systems and tyre testing capabilities.
The facility has its own test team, which carries out evaluations for customers, from tyre manufacturers to vehicle manufacturers and industry suppliers. The team also travels the world to support customers with summer tyre testing at various locations.
In addition, Test World’s facilities are available to customers wishing to carry out their own programmes.
