BorgWarner opens new HV test lab at its India Propulsion Engineering Centre in Bengaluru

American Tier-1 major BorgWarner, which is increasingly switching towards becoming an end-to-end systems supplier for electrification products such as electric motors, power electronics, and EV transmissions, among others, has inaugurated a new high-voltage (HV) testing facility at its Tech Centre in Bengaluru. 

The High Voltage Propulsion Engineering Laboratory has been commissioned in a space of around 11,600 square feet on the ground floor of its India Propulsion Engineering Centre (IPEC) in Whitefield, Bengaluru, and is designed and built ground-up to aid BorgWarner engineers to enhance product development. The new state-of-the-art lab will allow testing of electric propulsion systems that include HV traction motors, inverters, DC-DC converters, as well as low-voltage electric drive components.

The company says the lab also supports a 350kW, 400-800V eDyno to support testing of integrated motor and inverter systems. Moreover, the lab power infrastructure claims to support HV power electronics (non-rotating), electric machines, and e-fan (rotating), among other products which are suitable for vehicle electrification. The facility also boasts provisions to test and validate low-voltage electric drive auxiliary components, such as pump motors, clutch actuators, and park-lock systems. While it has already begun 800V SiC and Si-based inverter testing, eDyno testing is set to commence in Q4 of 2024. 

The new testing facility is claimed to be designed as per BorgWarner’s global best practices, and safety regulations in place, and with its state-of-the-art infrastructure, will enable the company’s over 700 engineering workforce (including strategic partners) at IPEC to develop unique solutions, while addressing product issues from the field. The company says this would ensure continued long-term local collaboration and support with its global customers, as well as empower them to innovate solutions that address both local and global customer requirements.

According to Chandrasekar Krishnamurthy, Global Engineering Director, Systems, Software, and Engineering Excellence, BorgWarner, “India is a significant part of our global power-drive systems engineering workforce, and IPEC is supporting global projects being conducted out of the US, Europe, and Asia. Therefore, it is a GCC with representation and strong competencies in systems engineering, software engineering, and platform engineering. We are now also building competencies in electronic hardware development and e-drives that include electric motors and gearboxes.

“We have decided is to build a strong foundation to be successful here, and for that we wanted to build the competencies, and infrastructure. While we have now built the HV lab, we will be extending capabilities to do end-to-end engineering, right from acknowledging requirements to validating products, and this capability is very much needed on-site in India to cater to the local customers in the near-term future, and support them in a cost-effective and technically-competent way,” Krishnamurthy added.

The company says the new facility will also act as a product demonstration centre for its customers in India, and offer in-depth information and insights into its propulsion systems solutions. The facility will also allow functional testing and verification for HV products for both local as well as global projects.

According to Dwarka Simili, Head, India Propulsion Engineering Centre, BorgWarner, “The commissioning of the HV test lab at IPEC shows the commitment that BorgWarner is making to place India in its strategic roadmap. The facility will also allow us to demonstrate our products to our local customers, thereby also enabling closer interactions, and collaborations to develop future solutions.”

“The lab addresses all power drive systems – motors, inverters, integrated systems, drive units, as well as controllers, and receivers for electric propulsion systems. We will be developing these systems at the facility, and we are perhaps one-of-a-kind in Bengaluru that are focusing on specific propulsion related components as we address mobility-related challenges in today’s world.”