CAR Expands Advanced Mobility Labs

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In 2017, The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research (CAR) was selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Authority (FTA) as the program manager and official test site for the FTA Low and No Emissions Component Assessment Program. A year later, The Ohio State University was designated an FTA Bus Testing Center.

LoNo programs support the introduction of low and no emissions transit buses into transit system fleets. Ohio State will perform full vehicle life-cycle evaluations, system level and individual component testing, in partnership with The Transportation Research Center (TRC).  The results will provide unbiased public assessments of low- or no-emission vehicles, systems and components, documenting their real-world maintainability, reliability, performance, structural integrity and efficiency.

Expansion of Advanced Mobility Laboratories

Acock building design and site plan for LoNo building
Acock building design and site plan for heavy-duty chassis test lab

Under the FTA LONO program, Ohio State was awarded an additional $7 million in capital funding bringing our total to $14 million to develop and support the on-campus Bus Testing Center and significant funds to expand the work were included in the recently passed Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill.  This provides the first phase of a number of investments from industry and government in expanded laboratory capabilities on Ohio State’s campus and at TRC.

CAR recently completed an architectural site feasibility study to add a new 15,000 square foot heavy-duty chassis test laboratory to the existing CAR site.  The current facility design includes a temperature controlled chassis dynamometer, new battery test labs, vehicle service bays and office/meeting space. 

CAR is now working with Ohio State leadership to identify other opportunities for a larger and more significant laboratory expansion with capabilities including electric machine test labs, autonomous system development and validation, and vehicular cybersecurity research.

 

 

Category: Research