Navistar Inc. announced the opening of the Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Ind., where the company will test its entire portfolio of products: Class 5-8 commercial trucks; School buses; and Military vehicles. Recently purchased from Robert Bosch LLC, the 668-acre site includes a three-mile paved and banked oval with several additional testing capabilities:
- Brake testing capabilities which include infrastructure, complete instrumentation and computerized data acquisition;
- Structural durability testing/accelerated mile accumulation with road profile capability using accelerometer and strain gage data and multiple road surfaces including chatter, impact, cobblestone, undulating, resonance road surfaces, high speed oval, gravel, body/chassis twist event and off- road surfaces; and
- Specialized testing such as vehicle noise and handling, center-of-gravity, rollover and roof crush testing, grade-ability up to 60 percent, traction control, powertrain durability among others.
“The new Navistar Proving Grounds is a strategic addition to our product development operations and will play an important role in our mission to deliver industry-leading uptime for our customers,” said Bill Kozek, president, Navistar Truck and Parts. “Beyond testing our latest vehicles and innovative technologies, we will also use the site as a customer center to showcase new products and give customers an opportunity to experience our vehicles firsthand.”
Located about 90 miles from Navistar headquarters in Lisle, Ill., the close proximity of Navistar Proving Grounds in New Carlisle, Ind., will complement the company’s validation center in Melrose Park, Ill., driving efficiencies and allowing test capabilities to be managed in-house by Navistar.
