WABCO Holdings Inc. has opened the vehicle dynamics extension of its test track in Jeversen, Germany.
An investment of approximately EUR 3.2 million, WABCO's test track extension provides safe and efficient capabilities for dynamic and stability testing on trucks, truck/trailer combinations, and buses at high speeds, offering optimum development conditions for the company's stability control systems such as electronic braking systems (EBS), roll stability support (RSS), and electronic stability control (ESC).
WABCO pioneered ESC for commercial vehicles in 2001 and has continued to drive ESC innovation ever since. Furthermore, the European Union will mandate ESC technology for new heavy class commercial vehicles starting in 2012. This will result in more tests to be conducted at WABCO's proving ground in Germany, as ESC systems need to be adapted and certified for different ranges of commercial vehicle models.
Welcoming industry and public sector guests at the inauguration ceremony, Jacques Esculier, WABCO chief executive officer, cut the ribbon of the renamed “Erich Reinecke Test Track.” This track honors the memory of the company's late vice president for group engineering, Erich Reinecke, who pioneered a multitude of electronic control systems for commercial vehicles during his 38 years at WABCO.
WABCO is the only commercial vehicle industry supplier that operates three test tracks. Besides its facilities in Jeversen, Germany, WABCO has test tracks in Rovaniemi, Finland; at the Arctic Circle, since 1988; and in Chennai, India, opened in 2001. The company's three proving grounds allow testing on a variety of road surfaces and in all weather conditions, from subfreezing arctic temperatures to extreme heat.