Ricardo has announced a number of key upgrades to its performance transmission test facilities at PMW Expo 2018 to accommodate the high-speed requirements of electric vehicles.
The first clients to benefit from the use of these upgraded test rigs will be a number of top tier Formula E customers who have selected Ricardo transmissions from Season 5 onwards. Ricardo has been developing such Formula E transmission solutions for the past 4 years.
“In Formula E year one we were mandated with what box the teams could have – a five-speed, whereas now every car is running single-speed,” said Peter Studer, sales manager for performance products at Ricardo. “Which made for a very simple gearbox. Okay, the gears are very complex, but everything is about efficiency and inertia.”
The investment at its Midlands Technical Centre in Leamington Spa, UK, includes modifications to its test beds – which will be completed early in 2019 – to ensure that the company’s test capabilities are ideally suited to the demands of vehicle electrification.
The upgraded transmission test beds will be capable of simulating input speeds in line with the next generation of high-performance E machines.
“Ricardo has already developed an enviable reputation for Formula E transmissions,” said Ricardo performance products MD Mark Barge. “The upgrade of our test facilities helps to provide us with a truly world-class capability, which I believe is best in class for this fast-growing sector.”
