NI expands electric vehicle testing ecosystem

NI a developer of automated test and measurement systems, has announced two new offerings to enhance testing environments and workflows for electric vehicle (EV) traction inverter validation: a new Inverter Test System (ITS) and a collaboration agreement with D&V Electronics for power-level inverter test.

These offerings promise to accelerate innovation for EVs by integrating test earlier in the product development lifecycle. By simulating  electric vehicle powertrains to perform hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) tests of traction inverter electronic control units (ECUs), the ITS allows EV test engineers to create more life-like scenarios not easily and accurately reproduced on the road.

For over a century, automotive powertrain engineers focused on optimising the combustion engine. The arrival of the electric vehicle brings the promise of a sustainable future, but the engineering challenge has proven formidable. NI solutions, coupled with the expertise of D&V Electronics, allow customers to spend more time engineering ambitiously toward Vision Zero and less time troubleshooting their test systems.

Through this collaboration between NI and D&V, electric motor and direct current power emulators can be inserted into the test workflow to enable durability and thermal testing of the inverter component at full power in a high quality, cost-effective, and safe environment. Adding more simulation fidelity and capabilities speeds up the entire development process at a lower overall cost than field tests.

“Automotive engineers are constantly modifying simulation models based on evolving electric vehicle performance and test requirements,” said Noah Reding, senior director of Validation, Transportation at NI. “They need scalable, software-connected, solutions to seamlessly move these models from design to validation. Advancements such as these speed up EV innovation and accelerate time to market by increasing test coverage while eliminating inefficiencies in the testing process.”

“Traction inverters are the heart of the powertrain, and inverter design technology is changing rapidly. D&V’s innovative power emulators, combined with NI’s high-speed test platforms, will offer customers future-ready capabilities that enable coverage from component to system level testing in a controlled environment. Our team is excited to partner with NI on its new inverter test offerings, and we look forward to ongoing success,” said Uday Deshpande, Chief Technology Officer of D&V Electronics.