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Letter to the Editor

Chrysler Group Celebrates 50 Years of Vehicle Development and Reliability Testing at the Chelsea Proving Grounds

"The Chelsea Proving Grounds provides an up-front analysis on all Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge brand vehicles to ensure reliable and durable products," said Donald E. Goodwin, Vice President -- Scientific Laboratories and Proving Grounds, Chrysler Group. "This facility is a one-stop shop for comprehensive vehicle testing, cascading technical improvements throughout the corporation."

The Chelsea Proving Grounds houses 3,800 acres, 700 employees, 95 miles of durability roads -- 47 miles of asphalt, 36 miles of concrete, and 12 miles of gravel roads, as well as the most comprehensive off-road testing events and trails.

Vehicle development is evaluated by multiple facilities within the Chelsea Proving Grounds. For example, the Laboratory facilities includes the emissions laboratory with 14 chassis dynamometers, emissions measurements with computerized data analysis, a temperature controlled soak room, parasitic-loss dynamometer, a ride and roll rig (measures spring heights and body roll characteristics), cold and hot rooms, a surface plate and a brake, instrument, computer and photographic laboratory.

The Impact Test Building is 26,000 square feet and is used to anticipate how each component will work together during a crash to absorb and reduce crash forces sent to passengers. Air bag and restraint development, sensor calibrations, vehicle structure and component development and government regulations are the factors addressed. The Chelsea Proving Grounds Impact facility has the highest volume of tests in the industry.

Furthermore, new Chrysler Group vehicles are tested beyond the current regulations with tests such as the pole test and high-speed rear impact to improve vehicle safety and help ensure optimum performance in a wide range of crash scenarios. The Handling and Evaluation Road is 1.6 miles long and was designed for the development and testing of vehicle suspension systems at the extreme limits of their capability. The road consists of a series of curves of various radii, with the pavement sloping both into and away from the center of the curvature.

"The Chelsea Proving Grounds is key in the Chrysler Group's overall quality and engineering advancements," Goodwin said. "The correlation of test procedures to real-world customer usage will continue to produce significant contributions."

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