Cambustion Rolls Out Powertrain-in-the-Loop Testing for Hybrid and EV Development

UK-based powertrain testing specialist Cambustion has introduced a new Powertrain in the Loop (PiL) platform at its Hub Dyno site in Cambridge, aimed at helping automakers validate electrified vehicle systems long before a full prototype exists. The launch arrives after a year-long program in which the setup was used to support work on a hybrid supercar.

The PiL approach combines real hardware with simulated subsystems through Cambustion’s Hardware-in-the-Loop capability, which models components that aren’t yet physically available in real time. This means engineers can check how systems behave and interact, and start vehicle-level evaluations even when the chassis and many supporting parts are still missing. The Cambridge facility links vehicle simulation and HiL with measurement tools, allowing control strategies to be shaped and performance to be tuned early on.

For CamMotive, Cambustion’s EV powertrain division, the same PiL configuration can be used to develop high-voltage systems such as electric drives. When no physical battery is on hand, a 1,100 V, 500 kW battery simulator takes its place. For powertrains already mounted in a chassis, testing can hook straight into the wheel hubs, with dynamometers able to recreate transient conditions ranging from regulatory drive cycles to vehicle dynamics functions like torque vectoring. The temperature-controlled cell runs down to -15° C, letting teams evaluate performance, robustness and control strategies under both representative and worst-case scenarios.

According to Bruce Campbell, Director at Cambustion, the platform allows vehicle attributes to be signed off and systems to be debugged and optimized while the vehicle build proceeds in parallel. Once a prototype is ready, development can move to the company’s 4WD Chassis Dyno, or Hub Dyno PiL testing can continue alongside on-road work. During the hybrid supercar program, Campbell noted, the Hub Dyno proved so useful that the customer opted to keep PiL testing running in parallel with prototype vehicle testing for the duration of the project.