Laboratories & Testing Services

With over 50 years’ experience in type testing, TÜV NORD’s IFM is your trusted partner for testing components, systems and vehicles, with a focus on drivetrains, wheels, tyres and brake components. Our accredited laboratories and state-of-the-art test benches at our Essen site offer comprehensive testing services in accordance with international and customer-specific standards. 

We support manufacturers, suppliers and regulatory authorities with technically precise testing, transparent results and practical advice throughout the entire product lifecycle.

Our services are aimed at all companies and organisations that require reliable testing services for vehicles and their systems and components:

• Vehicle manufacturers (OEMs)
• Suppliers of powertrain and exhaust components
• Manufacturers of vehicle components such as wheels, tyres, brake components, etc.
• Developers and engineering service providers
• Authorities, NGOs and testing bodies
• Expert agencies and courts
• Manufacturers of non-road machinery (construction machinery, agricultural machinery, etc.)
• Vehicle fleet operators
• Research institutes and universities

Our accredited laboratories and test benches enable precise and reliable testing of vehicles, their systems and components – both on the test bench and in real-world conditions:

• Engine test benches
• Driving performance/exhaust gas roller test benches
• Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS)
• Evaporative emissions testing (SHED)
• Determination of driving resistance on test tracks
• Brake particle test benches
• Flywheel test benches
• Test benches for wheels, tyres and chassis components

Whether for vehicle or machinery drives: TÜV NORD’s laboratory in Essen, accredited to DIN ISO 17025/2018, is equipped with three state-of-the-art engine test benches for testing and inspecting complete engine systems or individual components with regard to limited and non-limited exhaust emissions, fuel consumption and engine performance under controlled conditions.

The focus is on test procedures from the EC, ECE, US EPA and TRIAS regulatory frameworks.

Specifications:

• Areas of application: Vehicles and non-road engines
• Propulsion concepts: Spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines using a wide variety of fuels
• Temperature range: 20°C to 30°C within regulatory limits
• Power output: 0.5 kW to 630 kW / 4000 Nm (transient)
• Measurement technology: two parallel exhaust lines (gaseous)
  • Particle mass and particle count
  • Fuel consumption
• Intake air conditioning: temperature (20–30°C) and humidity

Our accredited laboratory at our Essen site has two modern, regulation-compliant (including EC/ECE/TRIAS) roller dynamometers for determining limited and unlimited exhaust emissions, energy and fuel consumption, and range under various climatic conditions.

In addition, the test benches can be used to determine the c-factors for brake particle measurement.

The focus is on test procedures from the EC, ECE and TRIAS regulatory frameworks.

Specifications:

• Areas of application: Motorcycles, passenger cars, light commercial vehicles
• Drive concepts: Single-axle and all-wheel-drive vehicles with conventional and alternative powertrains
• Temperature range: -20°C to 40°C
• Drive power: up to 200 kW in all-wheel drive mode (WLTP)
• Axle loads: up to 2500 kg per axle
• Wheelbase: up to 4600 mm
• Mass simulation: up to 4500 kg
• Measurement technology: Two lines
  • rolling measurement (PHEV)
  • Two power analysers
  • Raw exhaust gas measurement
     

The measurement of pollutant emissions using portable exhaust emission measurement technology under real-world driving conditions is a key component of type-approval testing for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, and is also used to monitor non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). In addition to the regulated exhaust components NOx and CO, PEMS also measures NO₂, CO₂ and O₂.

Passenger cars & commercial vehicles
Under current legislation, passenger cars and commercial vehicles must demonstrate compliance with limited exhaust emissions in real-world road traffic. To this end, PEMS is used to measure exhaust emissions and particle number (PN) during test drives on public roads.

Non-road mobile machinery
With the introduction of Stage V, manufacturers are obliged to carry out in-service monitoring (ISM). Selected NRMM must be measured using PEMS under representative operating conditions, and emission values must be reported to the European Commission for the setting of future limit values.

Using comprehensive mobile measurement technology, we carry out the relevant tests as part of type testing and market surveillance for manufacturers, authorities and NGOs.

Volatile hydrocarbons from fuel systems are a key test parameter in type approval – particularly for petrol and hybrid vehicles. In our SHED chamber, we measure these emissions in accordance with standards and under controlled conditions.

An overview of our services:

• Conducting legally required SHED tests in accordance with EC and ECE regulations.
• Application to passenger cars, motorcycles and hybrid vehicles with petrol engines.
• Measurement of volatile emissions under standardised conditions.
• Used as part of the approval process or for system optimisation.

In order to determine exhaust emissions, range and fuel consumption on the roller dynamometer, the driving resistances for the vehicle in question must be measured on the test track.

We carry out such driving resistance measurements as part of our accreditation at external test sites, ranging from ATP Papenburg in the northern district of Emsland to the weather-stable IDIADA test site in Spain. 

TÜV NORD is designated for driving resistance determination in accordance with the measurement procedures for WLTP, NEDC and Japan, and is DAkkS-accredited.

With the introduction of Euro 7 legislation, verification of compliance with brake particle limit values has become a key focus of type approval. The IFM has two test benches that comply with the regulations for measuring particle mass and particle count. The correction factors (c-factor) used to account for electrified powertrains can be determined on our road performance/roll-on test benches.

Specification:

• Speed: up to 36001 rpm
• Braking torque: up to 8000 Nm
• Brake pressure: up to 250 bar
• Environmental simulation: -20°C to 50°C

The brake component test laboratory is equipped with four flywheel test benches (SMP) for testing brake components. Tests can be carried out in accordance with both statutory and industry-specific requirements.

Specifications:

• Two SMPs for car and motorcycle applications
  • Braking torque up to 6,000 Nm
  • Test speed up to 2,800 rpm
  • Testing with conditioned supply air possible
  • Noise testing
     
• SMP for commercial vehicle applications
  • Braking torque up to 25,000 Nm
  • Test speed up to 693 rpm
     
• SMP for commercial vehicle and railway applications
  • Braking torque up to 40,000 Nm
  • Test speed up to 2,850 rpm
  • Testing with conditioned supply air possible
  • Noise testing

The wheel and tyre testing laboratory has more than 20 test benches for assessing the service life and structural integrity of wheels, tyres and components of the Corner module, such as chassis parts, bolted joints and brake components. This makes it one of the largest independent testing laboratories for these applications in Europe.

Specifications:

• Cyclic bending test rigs for passenger car applications
• Rotary bending test rigs for commercial vehicle applications
• Roll-off test rigs for passenger car and commercial vehicle applications
• Impact test rig
• Radial runout test rig
• Biaxial wheel test rig (ZWARP, internal drum)
• Dynamic half-axle test rig (FDHAP)
• Testing equipment for materials testing
  • Tensile tests
  • Hardness testing
  • Microscopic microstructure documentation
  • In-house sample preparation
• Burst pressure testing