Development of Vehicle Design Criteria for Cold Weather Operation

This paper establishes the need for and method of development of comprehensive design criteria to produce a vehicle that will operate correctly under cold weather (below 0°C) operating conditions. Creation of vehicle design criteria by each separate marketplace permits direct input into the design process; input that would be difficult to convey in other ways.

The areas that must be considered in the development of cold weather design criteria are explored and finalized with a bias towards actual customer usage experience under typical cold weather conditions. Definitions of vehicle sub-systems are set out for each separate sub-system. How performance goals are set and supported is illustrated through the development of design criteria for a particular vehicle sub-system, the windshield wiper/washer.