Weather or not—we count on our cars to negotiate even the worst road conditions safely and reliably.

To help meet consumer expectations, on March 27, the world’s first climate wind tunnel operated by a Chinese joint venture automotive partner began testing vehicles at the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC) in Shanghai.

The PATAC is operated as an engineering and design joint venture between the Detroit-based General Motors (News - Alert) Company and SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, one of the “Big Four” Chinese automakers. The facility supports the development of conventional and new energy vehicles by PATAC and Shanghai GM.

The facility covers an area of about 3,400 square meters (close to one acre) and represents an investment of nearly $28.5 million. It features advanced technologies and equipment, including a test cabin, wind turbines, cooling/heating systems, chassis dynamometers, a sunshine/rain/snow simulation system, a data acquisition system, and a sophisticated road simulation rotating hub system.

The climate wind tunnel pioneers several technologies in China:

• It is the first and only climate wind tunnel in the People’s Republic that can provide rain and snow simulations.
• It has a wind-speed deviation of less than 1 percent and a maximum wind speed of 250 kilometers (155 miles) per hour.
• It has the widest temperature simulation range of -40 degrees to 60 degrees Celsius (-29 degrees to140 degrees Fahrenheit) and the largest humidity simulation range of 5 percent to 95 percent.
• It has the most technologically advanced, controllable full-spectrum sunshine simulation system, with sunshine intensity of 1,200 watts per square meter (1,200 watts per 10.7 square feet), similar to some of the harshest warm-weather climates, such as the Gobi desert in northern China.

Breaking seasonal and regional restrictions, the tunnel can replace around 80 percent of climate-related road tests; and can enhance the efficiency of the vehicle development process. For example, users can precisely adjust the automatic air-conditioning controls for the development of comfortable vehicles and the integration of vehicle climate systems.

The tunnel is equipped to test next-generation vehicles— including full electric (EV) and hybrid (HEV) models —to optimize electric range performance, which is highly dependent on the efficient integration of passenger HVAC and propulsion cooling systems.  The climate wind tunnel is a key tool to helping improve the fuel efficiency of conventional vehicles and the range performance of EVs and HEVs.

The new facility is environmentally friendly. It has about 500 cubic meters (17,657 cubic feet) of insulating materials to minimize heat loss. In addition, paint and materials used in its construction are not harmful to the environment, and its wind turbines and refrigeration facilities are laid out to reduce oscillation and noise.

PATAC is a 50-50 joint venture between GM and SAIC (News - Alert). It provides automotive engineering services, including design, development, testing and validation of components and vehicles. It is one of GM’s six global research and development centers. Among PATAC’s achievements are the development of the Chevrolet New Sail and Buick GL8 luxury MPV; and the reengineering of the Buick LaCrosse, Cadillac SLS and other products for Shanghai GM.

General Motors has 11 joint ventures, two wholly owned foreign enterprises, and more than 35,000 employees in China. GM and its joint ventures offer the broadest lineup of vehicles and brands among automakers in China. Passenger cars and commercial vehicles are sold under the Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Jiefang, Opel and Wuling brands. In 2011, GM sold more than 2.5 million vehicles in China. It has been the sales leader among global automakers in the market for seven consecutive years.