TVA Test Track
The majority of testing for the Vue will be conducted at the TVA Test Track. This track is of an ovular design used for the testing of vehicles. There will be two types of testing implemented on this track in order to gather as much information as possible on fuel consumption rate, distance traveled, and rates of speed. A city test will be conducted to simulate and anticipate what the miles per kilogram (MPkg) might be for the Vue used solely in an urban or city like area. A simulated highway test cycle will be performed to determine what the MPkg might be for long-term highway use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has specific testing protocol for highway and city testing that has been used in the past to get data for the Ethanol conversion. The Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET) emulates driving at high speeds for long distances to determine fuel economy of light duty vehicles. The EPA also uses a Federal Testing Procedure (FTP-75) which is an urban dynamometer driving schedule. This is used to determine fuel economy of light duty vehicles using an urban route with frequent stops and starts.
Below is an aerial picture of the test track. The track is just under a mile long at around 5110 feet. The track has a bank system so when the vehicle turns there is little speed change. There are also two different banks for two different speed intervals. One is for higher speeds and the other for lower. By conducting these tests and comparing results with conventional engines, H.I.C.E. will be able to determine how much of an improvement the move to hydrogen could be for Chattanooga and the U.S.
