2014 C7 Corvette LT1 Fact Sheet #6 - General Motors Powertrain Development Center
Source: GM Media
The Gen 5 Small Block LT1 engine for the next-generation Corvette was tested and validated at General Motors' Global Powertrain Engineering Development Center, in Pontiac, Michigan.
Engineers use the Powertrain Development Center's dynamometer facilities to bring advanced, fuel-saving powertrains like the LT1 to market faster and at less cost by reducing development time by 10 weeks. The 450,000-square-foot facility is the largest and most technically advanced powertrain development center in the world.
The facility features two test wings with 120 flexible dynamometer test cells and more than 100 powertrain component test stands. Advanced test automation, environmental control and data analysis capabilities are expected to improve GM's powertrain engineering efficiency by 50 percent on many lab procedures. For example, computer-controlled dynamometer tests and math modeling — including 68 new laboratory calibration procedures — allow GM to reduce the number of expensive vehicle road tests required to validate a system.
By shifting some road testing to the laboratory, along with using computer math simulation tools, engineers who previously developed calibrations with expensive vehicles can now perform this work with greater accuracy, repeatability and, ultimately, quality.
The efficiencies realized at the center build on GM Powertrain's ongoing global Road-to-Lab-to-Math initiative that transitions testing historically conducted in a vehicle to advanced lab and computer-aided analysis. Engineers use computer-aided engineering software to run simulated and controlled laboratory tests of powertrains and components to optimize fuel economy, emissions and performance. This reduces the amount of physical vehicle tests. Vehicle testing is used later in development to confirm that designs meet the powertrain program targets.
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