Some people would argue the future is here. Not because of flying cars, but vehicles that run on electricity.
Even if you’re not feeling EVs yet, a scientific testing company wants to make sure the technology is ready for you. CBS 2’s Lauren Victory took us inside local inspectors with a global impact.
The experiments inside UL Solution’s new lab take weeks or even months. The subject under scrutiny recently looks like a souped-up computer cord. What the Northbrook-based team is actually testing is a charger for an electric vehicle.
“People are using this equipment and it’s something they’ve never done before,” said Milan Dotlich, vice president of energy and industrial automation at UL Solutions.
That’s why all sorts of operator errors and manufacturing failures are tested for. The engineer is varying voltages using electricity from stacks that function like a power grid.
“We do look for use over time so flexing and bending, drop tests in the connectors,” said Tim Zgonena, principal engineer for energy and industrial automation.
They also toy with humidity and crank up the heat in weather simulators.
“We need to make sure that there is no exposure of live parts,” Zgonena said. “If enclosures crack with the cold temperatures, make sure water doesn’t get inside.”
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