Thompson Cold Climate Testing Facility Goes to Extremes To Test Ford Vehicles
18 February 1999
Thompson Cold Climate Testing Facility Goes to Extremes To Test Ford Vehicles THOMPSON, Manitoba, Feb. 18 -- When it comes to putting its
vehicles through the harshest possible conditions, the City of Thompson in the
province of Manitoba, Canada provides Ford with ideal conditions.
In 1997, Ford opened a Cold Climate Test facility in Thompson as a center for
proving out vehicle and parts performance and durability in some of the
coldest temperatures in mainland North America.
"Thompson has the ideal mix of severe cold but relatively low monthly
snowfall, allowing us to carry out extensive testing throughout the winter
months. Our new facility is equipped to allow engineers to perform a
multitude of different testing and proveout exercises to ensure that our
vehicles will start, stop and function in extremely low temperatures," said
Russ Timreck, coordinator of Ford's Thompson Cold Climate test facility.
Temperatures from November through March can get as low as minus 45
Centigrade. In January and February, the two coldest months, temperatures
average between minus 27 and minus 30 Centigrade. Such severe, prolonged cold
weather ensures that Ford's vehicle development teams can use the facility for
relatively long periods of time and complete testing on multiple vehicles and
components.
"During the development of the new Transit, we wanted to test beyond what
our customers would experience during a normal winter in Europe or Asia. Ford
has another cold climate testing facility in Bemidji, Minnesota. However,
even Bemidji was not cold enough for the tests we had planned," said Eric
Kalis, Drive Team leader for the new Transit.
"Thompson offered some of the harshest conditions in mainland North
America and we knew that for our customers to have total confidence in the new
vehicle, we had to put it through the most severe kind of testing."
Thompson is now used by many vehicle development teams from both the Truck
Vehicle Center in Michigan and by engineers working on car programs, including
those based in Europe. Typical cold climate testing includes leaving the
vehicles outside overnight, starting them from cold and measuring engine
performance, heater function and interior control function. Another test
involves soaking the vehicle overnight. Engineers then look for water leaks
and how ice affects components such as locks and door handles.
As well as looking at the performance of a vehicle from an extreme cold
start, thousands of miles are accumulated driving the vehicles on snow-and-ice
covered roads to check acceleration, braking and overall stability.
Sophisticated traction control and anti-lock braking systems also are tested
extensively to ensure they function correctly under such severe conditions.
Snow ingestation testing is also carried out in Thompson. This involves
driving in a simulated blizzard for 100km to test how snow accumulation on the
frontal area of the vehicle affects engine performance.
Known in Canada as "The hub of the North," Thompson is located 739 miles
north of the Manitoba provincial capital, Winnipeg. Thompson was founded in
1956 following discovery of one of the world's largest deposits of high
quality nickel. Thompson is home to around 15,000 people and has a trading
area of 45,000 people, not including an additional 25,000 from the Eastern
Arctic and Nunavut regions.
