The two programmes involved  hot environment altitude testing (HET or HAT) and development validation testing, assessing the performance of both passenger cars and a light commercial vehicle in demanding real-world conditions. 

And while the testing itself went to plan, the teams had an unexpected test programme variable to contend with - an earthquake.      

Test trip 1 – Environmental testing for a luxury car manufacturer   

For test team one, the objective was to carry out a HAT programme for one of LRW’s OEM car customers. The combination of high temperatures, altitude and demanding road conditions makes Granada an ideal environment for validating vehicle and system performance under extreme conditions.    

The test team comprised Directors Steven Higginson, Jared Al-Hilali and calibration engineers Michael Leech and Danny Harding, working alongside our customer’s engineering team.    

The trip included driving three vehicles from the UK, through France to Granada – with temperatures hitting a punishing 45°C. Alongside the Granada testing, the journey provided a useful opportunity for additional real-world assessment, exposing the vehicles to changing road, traffic and environmental conditions more representative of customer use.   

For our calibration engineers, the trip also provided practical experience of planning an extended real-world test programme, including route planning, fuel stops and convoy driving- and a team Padel competition.  

The test programme was completed successfully, with the customer pleased with the initial results and vehicle performance.  Next up, one test vehicle is currently undergoing cold testing at -7°C in the cold box at LRW’s Test and Engineering Centre (LTEC), providing a contrasting controlled environment.   

Test trip 2 - Development validation testing for a light commercial vehicle 

For our second Granada test team, the goal was to put a light commercial vehicle through its paces in a hostile environment, with a particular focus on high-temperature and high-altitude conditions. 

The team travelled from Portsmouth to Santander by ferry before driving south to Granada, taking both the test vehicle and a hire car of the same make and model to provide acontrol vehicle for comparison. 

Over the course of the two-week test programme the LRW team included Senior Calibration Consultant Kristof Pawluc, Calibration Engineer Alex Roshier plus Directors Richard Threlfall and John McLean, all working alongside the customer team. 

The vehicle operated well throughout the programme, with no major issues identified. The successful outcome gave the customer confidence in the vehicle's performance ahead of the challenging conditions it will operate in. 

Director Steven Higginson explained the importance of environmental testing and the LRW approach: 

‘It’s definitely been a busy summer for test trips, which are so useful as part of a vehicle development programme.  

Through our LTEC facility we can now combine in-house vehicle testing with our established real-world environmental testing capability. That gives our customers greater flexibility to test vehicles and systems across controlled and real-world conditions. 

Our approach is to integrate as seamlessly as possible with our customers’ engineering teams and complement their expertise - that collaborative approach is what makes our test programmes so successful.’   

And what about that earthquake? 

During the trip, Granada experienced an earthquake measuring 4.8 in magnitude, followed by a number of aftershocks. One particularly disconcerting aftershock struck during the night, waking the teams around 1am in their hotel and prompting them to line up their shoes in case of evacuation.  

The impact sadly caused some injuries in the Granada area, but our team was unharmed and both test programmes were able to continue as planned.    

Why is environmental vehicle testing important? 

Environmental vehicle testing allows engineers to validate vehicle performance in real-world conditions that can be difficult to replicate in a controlled test facility. 

Real-world testing can expose vehicles and systems to combinations of temperature, altitude, atmospheric pressure, road surfaces, gradients, traffic and driving conditions that may be difficult to reproduce accurately in a laboratory environment. 

LRW’s vehicle testing capability spans both real-world environmental testing and controlled testing at the LRW Test & Engineering Centre (LTEC), its state-of-the-art vehicle testing facility in Milton Keynes. This combination enables LRW’s engineers to support customers with testing at different stages of vehicle development and validation. 

And, as the two Granada programmes demonstrated, real-world vehicle testing can also introduce variables that no test plan can predict...   

Need support with vehicle testing? Get in touch with the team: [email protected]