EVs expand the testing envelope

Horiba builds on its core test-systems expertise as it pivots to battery packs, e-motors, fuel cells and their ancillary technologies.

In a word-association game, automotive test engineers would likely pair “emissions measurement” with “Horiba.” The Japan-based supplier is an acknowledged household-name in the testing-solutions field and as the industry pivots toward electrified vehicles, Horiba has done the same. Its emissions business (along with test systems for engine, driveline and brakes) remains “core” - and is particularly relevant to hybrid-electric vehicles - while the Japan-based company expands into new areas to address the specific needs of testing e-motors, battery packs, fuel cells and ancillary technologies impacting electrified-vehicle efficiency.

“All the mechatronics and toolsets still apply to EVs, such as dynamometers and anything used to test a vehicle in a formal way,” said Josh Israel, market development manager at Horiba Automotive Test Systems. “Those vehicles are still subject to the same certifications as other vehicles are. But they come with a new set of challenges: Never in the history of the auto industry have manufacturers been asked to do so much, with the same amount of money, in shorter timeframes. Because of that, test efficiency is an absolute premium.”