Daimler Opens New Wind Tunnel in Germany

Daimler AG has formally opened a new aeroacoustic wind tunnel at its product development complex in Sindelfingen.

The facility, which adjoins the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center, can produce wind speeds as high as 265 kph (159 mph). The installation supplements a climate tunnel that opened on the site two years ago.

The two wind tunnels and a new driving simulator center are part of a €230 million ($303 million) expansion of the tech center.

Daimler notes that the heavily insulated new wind tunnel can be used to measure a vehicle's interior and exterior wind noise because it produces almost no sound of its own at wind speeds as high as 140 kph (87 mph).

The installation includes a 28 sq-m (301 sq-ft) nozzle and a measuring section nearly 20 meters (66 feet) long. A turntable 12 meters (39 ft) in diameter permits precise crosswind testing. The tunnel's five-belt "roadway" can simulate a wide range of road conditions.