The Importance of Automotive Testing

May 12th, 2005

I wrote a version of this piece for the premiere issue of Automotive Test Report back in January of 1999. With few exceptions, it still rings true today…Dan

Testing has been an important part of the automotive industry since its inception. Early on, carmakers realized that to improve the performance and reliability of their vehicles, they would have to test them.

Over the years, testing has become increasingly important. The pressure is on both suppliers and manufacturers to deliver sophisticated products that meet both consumer quality demands and more stringent regulatory requirements. To meet these demands auto suppliers and manufacturers must do an incredible amount of testing.

Testing today’s automotive systems present many challenges. Take electronics systems, for example. Electronics systems now control nearly every part of an automobile from the engine to the brakes. These systems have to operate under extreme environmental conditions, and the only way to ensure that they do is to perform severe environmental tests.

Indeed, the only way to ensure that an automotive component or system will work safely and reliably–and meet regulatory standards–is to test them at every phase of the product’s lifecycle. This includes design testing, prototype testing, and production testing. And if the economic pressures weren’t enough, automotive test engineers realize that lives are literally riding on the outcome of these tests.

This is where Automotive Test News comes in. Via this website, I am going to do my best to help you peform better tests by providing information about technologies, techniques, and test equipment that will help you do your job better. I’m going to cover the entire range of automotive testing, including electronics testing, materials testing, emissions testing, environmental testing, and many other topics.

My goal is to make Automotive Test News the website you call up when you need test information. And via the magic of the Internet, I hope this will be a two-way thing. Feel free to comment on posts, ask questions, and send me information about interesting tests that you’ve devloped. Working together, we can make this the “bulletin board” of the automotive test industry.

About Me
I grew up in the shadows of two big auto plants: the Dodge and Chevy truck plants in Warren, MI. I hesitate to say that motor oil runs in my veins, but my grandfather moved to Detroit in the 1930s to work in an auto plant, my father was an engineer for Ford, and two of my three uncles spent their working lives employed by one or another of the Big Three.

Somehow, I managed to avoid working for a car company, but I did spend twelve years working as a test engineer and managing test engineering departments. That, plus my family background and years writing about testing and test equipment, give me a unique perspective on testing.

Entry Filed under: Opinion