One of the benefits of attending Automotive Testing Expo USA is the opportunity to meet organizations that approach product testing from different technical perspectives.
Two companies that caught my attention were Elite Electronic Engineering of Downers Grove, Illinois, and Cincinnati Sub-Zero (CSZ). T
hey caught my eye, because I have experience with both of these companies over the course of many years. My testing experience started heavily with Fred and CSZ, as well as Elite from the OEM vehicle. I have been a part of SAE International and their various committees.
At first glance, electromagnetic compatibility testing and environmental testing may seem like separate disciplines. However, both address a fundamental challenge in automotive product development: understanding how a product behaves when exposed to conditions beyond those encountered during routine functional testing.
RF Testing: Understanding the Electromagnetic Environment
Elite Electronic Engineering’s work in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and radio-frequency (RF) testing is particularly relevant as vehicles become increasingly dependent on electronics, communication networks, sensors, and embedded software.
A component may function correctly on a laboratory bench but behave differently when installed in a vehicle surrounded by electrical noise, multiple communication systems, and electromagnetic interference.
The important question is not simply whether the component functions. It is whether it continues to function as intended under the electromagnetic conditions it may encounter throughout its operational life.
Environmental Testing: Challenging the Operating Envelope
Cincinnati Sub-Zero approaches product reliability from another direction: environmental testing.
Temperature extremes, thermal cycling, and changing environmental conditions can reveal weaknesses that remain hidden during nominal testing.
Materials expand and contract. Electrical characteristics change. Connections experience mechanical stresses. Battery performance and electronics behavior may vary considerably with temperature.
These effects become especially important when environmental conditions interact with manufacturing variation, aging, or other stresses.
Where These Testing Disciplines Intersect
My experience in automotive product development has reinforced the importance of looking beyond individual component performance.
A product can pass an RF test under one set of conditions and an environmental test under another, yet still experience problems when temperature, electromagnetic interference, vibration, and operating loads occur together.
This raises several questions:
- Are our test conditions representative of the product’s intended operating environment?
- Have we considered interactions between different stresses?
- What assumptions are embedded in our test plans?
- How much margin exists between demonstrated performance and the limits of acceptable operation?
- What evidence would challenge our belief that the product is ready?
These are not simply laboratory questions. They influence requirements, design decisions, manufacturing controls, supplier management, and product-release decisions.
Testing Is About Reducing Uncertainty
The value of organizations such as Elite Electronic Engineering and Cincinnati Sub-Zero extends beyond the equipment and testing services they provide.
They help engineers explore product behavior, expose potential weaknesses, and gather evidence that supports better decisions.
For me, that is the larger purpose of verification and validation.
A passing test tells us something about the product under the conditions tested. It does not tell us everything about how the product will behave in the field.
As automotive systems become more connected, software-intensive, and electrically complex, understanding those boundaries becomes increasingly important.
The objective is not simply to complete more tests. It is to conduct the right tests, understand what the results mean, and use the evidence to improve the product.
Design. Build. Learn. Improve.
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