Affalterbach. Like parent group Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG is consistently following the path of electrification – with initial vehicles in this year. Now the performance and sports car brand is taking the next forward-thinking step and is building a highly automated test area for the development of electrified high-performance powertrains and electrical components. The official groundbreaking for the new “Technikum” technology centre took place on 4 March 2021. In doing so, AMG is investing in important topics of the future and is underlying its clear commitment to the Affalterbach location.
The new technology centre with a total area of 5000 square metres on three levels will rise between Benz- and Maybachstrasse in Affalterbach by 2022. It is a new, highly automated test area for the development of electrified high-performance powertrains and electrical components. With all-wheel test stands and a high-voltage test stand for batteries, AMG is gearing itself towards the future. If needed, the building allows for further expansion stages.
Philipp Schiemer, Chairman of the Board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “With the construction of the technology centre, we as AMG are underlining our clear commitment to the Affalterbach location and continue to gear ourselves towards the future” Jochen Hermann, Member of Executive Board and Chief Technology Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, continues: “Our new test centre will enable us to test vehicle components and prototypes under realistic conditions and put them to the acid test at an early development stage. In this way, we not only save time in the development process, but also improve the quality of the results“.
Along with the Executive Board, the mayor of the Affalterbach municipality, Steffen Döttinger, also helped to turn the first sod to celebrate the start of construction of the new technology centre. “AMG with its success story is an important employer and a figurehead of our community. We are delighted that Mercedes-AMG is further investing in the Affalterbach location with the construction of the new technology centre“, says Döttinger.
The “Technikum” technology centre at a glance
The all-wheel test stands aid the engineers in Affalterbach in the simulation of real driving and environmental conditions. The four wheel hubs of a vehicle are connected to the four machines of a test stand and thereby reflect realistic driving resistances to reproduce street-like handling characteristics. One of the test stands is additionally equipped with a climatic/altitude chamber. It uses a vacuum to reproduce an altitude of up 5000 metres above sea level at a temperature as low as -30°C. The developer does not sit in the vehicle during the tests, but controls it from the operator room in an automated process. AMG thereby also contributes to a more sustainable future: By using the test stands, fewer test kilometres in real-world operation are required.
Be it arctic temperatures or tropical climate – the high-voltage test stand with climatic chamber makes it possible to test the high-voltage batteries developed at the Affalterbach location in a temperature range from -40 to +80°C in a fully automated process. This makes it possible to test nearly every conceivable circumstance that a battery system could face during its service life. The focus in this context is particularly on safety, long-term durability as well as on function and performance under extreme conditions. The extensive measurement technology of the test centre and the high level of automation result in reproducible and legally compliant test conditions.
Clear commitment to sustainability
With the planned construction of the technology centre, Mercedes-AMG underlines its clear commitment to the Affalterbach location and to sustainability. The aim is the realisation of high-efficiency building technology and facility equipment at the location, for example, by using state-of-the-art heat recovery systems, and a large cistern as energy storage. The building will be largely heated with own process waste heat. When there is excess heat, it can be supplied to an interconnected local heating system.
