SORDS - On-road test cycle for passenger vehicles and light vans

Kim  Winther

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SORDS - On-road test cycle for passenger vehicles and light vans

An energy consumption analysis of the effects of motor efficiency, air resistance, auxiliary consumption, start-stop and braking system efficiency providing balanced evaluation of vehicle performance in real life conditions.

What is SORDS?
SORDS is a new developed on-road test cycle for passenger vehicles and light vans. Contrary to other test cycles, SORDS is an on-road test – not a clinical laboratory test.  SORDS provides a balanced evaluation of vehicle performance in real life conditions It is exceptionally suited for electric and hybrid vehicles and for comparison across platforms.

Vej - Illustration

 

Background
Standardised vehicle tests of today take place on roller bench dynamometers in a laboratory environment. This leads to under estimation of external wind speeds, hills, turns as well as consumption for heating and air conditioning. Furthermore, internationally standardized tests in general fail to represent the higher speeds and acceleration rates that characterize European roads and vehicles. Current test cycles provide only one consumption figure, which is not representative of all driving conditions. Furthermore, they do not explain the reason behind varying consumption. SORDS provide a detailed energy consumption analysis, which you can then extrapolate to almost any driving condition.

Requirements
A straight test track of 1500 m is required to perform SORDS. Data logging is obtained through the OBD/CAN interface, which is present on most vehicles. In simple cases, the dashboard computer of the car can replace the logging equipment.

Results
From each part of the SORDS cycle an energy consumption analysis will appear. The effects of motor efficiency, air resistance, auxiliary consumption, start-stop and braking system efficiency will be clearly visible.

See video of testing performed in the Green eMotion project

References
The SORDS cycle is a result of Work Package 6 and 9 of the Green eMotion project.

Danish Technological Institute was responsible for EV climate testing, EV battery testing and the educational website in the Pan European project, Green eMotion with more than 40 partners.
For more information about our involvement in the Green eMotion project, please see Green eMotion webpage.