Stellantis unveiled its innovative Moving Ground Plane (MGP) technology—a $29.5-million investment—at the company’s research and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The upgraded wind tunnel will be able to measure and reduce airflow resistance from wheels and tires, which can account for up to 10% of total real-world aerodynamic drag.

Optimizing aerodynamic efficiency is crucial in the effort to extend the driving range of electrified vehicles on a single charge. This enhancement directly contributes to improved efficiency, benefiting customers with longer EV ranges and potentially reducing battery sizes, which in turn could lead to cost and weight savings.

The upgrade to the company’s aero-acoustic wind tunnel simulates real-world travel while allowing test vehicles to remain static. Belts suspended by cushions of air enable wheel movement at all four corners, while a fifth belt runs longitudinally beneath the vehicle, mimicking on-road travel conditions. This realistic simulation allows for more precise testing and aerodynamic improvements.

A test vehicle sits on the Moving Ground Plane (MGP) in the wind tunnel at Stellantis’ research and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Belts suspended by cushions of air enable wheel movement at all four corners, while a fifth belt runs longitudinally beneath the vehicle, as if it were rolling over a roadway. The new technology, installed following a $29.5 million investment, will be able to measure and reduce airflow resistance from wheels and tires, thereby improving electric-vehicle range.

The investment in MGP technology will benefit multiple Stellantis brands, regardless of where they are sold or how they are powered, and will gain from aerodynamic optimization. The upgraded wind tunnel also provides a valuable complement to virtual development tools.

This apparatus is a great addition to virtual tools, which may not account for factors such as tire deformation that can compromise aerodynamics. With this technology we can replicate such conditions and capture real-time data to explore solutions.

—Mark Champine, senior vice president and head of North America engineering technical centers

The new facility also adds vital automation capability. Changes to wheelbase and track testing, which can take as much as two hours in conventional wind tunnels, can now be done in minutes.

While Stellantis uses MGP technology at other facilities around the world, those sites are focused on smaller vehicle platforms. The upgraded Auburn Hills facility will be capable of accommodating larger vehicles, particularly those based on the STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms.

MGP technology is a key enabler in the development of BEVs, as outlined in the company’s Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, and will account for 50% of Stellantis US sales and 100% of European sales by 2030. Globally, Stellantis aims to offer more than 75 BEVs by that time, accounting for 5 million vehicles sold annually.

The inner workings of the new Moving Ground Plane (MGP) are located under the wind tunnel at Stellantis’ research and technical center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Following a $29.5-million investment, the company recently completed installation of the new technology, which will be able to measure and reduce airflow resistance from wheels and tires.

The upgraded facility is part of an estimated $85 million commitment included in the 2019 UAW contract. It includes a new annex for staging test vehicles and a new outbuilding to support the MGP system, which uses high-pressure compressed air to drive the wheel and center belts at speeds up to 140 mph. The entire process is carefully controlled by electromechanical actuators.

The measuring platform and turntable that comprise the heart of the MGP equipment weighs 137 tons, rests on a concrete foundation and are supported by a specially designed steel frame.

The wind tunnel, capable of generating wind speeds of more than 160 mph, has been in continuous operation since 2002.