The £1.83m investment will be used to upgrade the 12 engine test cells at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.
The investment will allow Millbrook, an independent technology centre for the design, engineering, test and development of automotive and propulsion systems and low carbon vehicles, to provide a full exhaust emissions and fuel efficiency testing and development service.
In particular, this includes testing vehicles’ ability to start in the cold, in temperatures as low as – 40oC, and advanced road load simulation modelling, the company said.
The investment will also fund new equipment for carrying out advanced direct injection gasoline and diesel development work.
In addition, test bed software will be upgraded, to allow it to run even extremely complex tests accurately, and to improve the efficiency and reliability of operations.
As well as funding new testing and development technology, the investment will also support Millbrook’s growth strategy, by allowing for the creation of three new highly skilled positions within the company’s powertrain department.
Millbrook, which works with companies in the automotive, transport, petrochemical, defence and security industries, has recently been awarded a major contract with a large OEM, who the organisation has been collaborating with for many years, according to Stephen Ratley, head of powertrain at Millbrook.
“We have a number of other key customers that are keen to utilise our independent and impartial knowledge and expertise,” he said. “This latest investment enables us to meet the requirements of our customers and the growing demands for modern engine test and development.”
“This is a very exciting time for Millbrook,” Ratley added.
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