SEAT has started work on the future Test Center Energy (TCE), the new automotive electric battery lab at the SEAT plant in Martorell, Spain.
SEAT will be making an investment of more than 7 million euros for setting up the centre that will develop and test various energy systems for electric and hybrid vehicles. The lab will have a testing capacity that can reach 1.3 MW simultaneously.
The construction of the TCE is included in the 5 billion euro investment plan recently announced by the company.
The future building, whose construction will be completed in April 2021, will have an area of around 1,500 square metres and include different test spaces for the evaluation of cell modules with lithium-ion technology, medium and high voltage batteries, as well as different chargers used in electrified vehicles.
There are plans for several climatic chambers that will enable the batteries and modules to be tested under extreme thermal conditions, simulating the different environments a car may experience during its life cycle. It will feature a high-tech electronics lab to design and manufacture prototypes and build interfaces for the test systems.
SEAT vice president for R&D Werner Tietz said: “This new battery lab will enable us to develop the energy systems of future hybrid and electric vehicles, thus contributing to the creation of sustainable electromobility.”
Over the past decade, SEAT has carried out national and international research projects and conducted more than 2,000 test cases. This facility has two climatic chambers and a test power of 200kW.
The carmaker is undergoing a transformation towards the electrification of the company and its brands. SEAT and CUPRA are going to launch five electric and plug-in hybrid models in 2020 and 2021.