Have you ever considered the possibility that on those 100 degree days when you are stuck in traffic that your car might overheat or when you’re in a -20 degree blizzard that your car might also run into trouble? Luckily, if you’re driving a Mercedes, you don’t have to worry about such trivial things like weather. Mercedes’ new testing facility at the Sindelfingen site is specifically designed to run prototypes through a myriad of weather conditions.
Mercedes-Benz recently inaugurated two wind tunnels capable of temperatures ranging from -40 degrees up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to testing the Mercedes-Benz Prototypes against brutal temps, the test vehicles can also be hit with hurricane force winds up to 164 mph, heavy rains and snow.
The ability to run the prototype vehicles through at such an early stage allows Mercedes-Benz to move more quickly through the design and development process, only have to do real life road tests on components that have already proven themselves. Another advantage of the new climatic wind tunnels is that they are designed to accommodate the use of hydrogen and therefore eminently suitable for all alternative drive systems of the future. Special sensors and an effective air extraction system mean that fuel-cell powered vehicles can also be subjected to exacting test programmes here.
Expand the full press release or view the photo gallery below to find out more.
