Ford - Lab Car to Launch

Introduction

VTS were contracted by a leading American OEM to deliver systems integration support for a new model year commercial vehicle. This was a multi-year project spanning from early prototype builds through to ongoing production, with the goal of conducting systems and component-level testing across the vehicle’s ECUs — identifying and resolving issues ahead of market release.

The Challenge

A project of this scale required a large, multi-disciplinary engineering team. VTS engineers were responsible for building and commissioning Lab Cars — full electrical system test benches complete with ECUs, wiring harnesses, and key mechanical components. Once built, these rigs were used to validate supplier-developed software, ensuring it met the OEM’s functional and quality requirements.

Due to the complexity of the carline and the high ECU count, our testing extended beyond basic validation. We performed detailed feature and function testing, CAN message timing analysis, and current draw assessments (including key-off load scenarios).

The Outcome

Our contribution led to VTS becoming the primary European partner for systems testing on this vehicle program. The volume of issues identified, analysed, and resolved by our team was significant and helped ensure a smooth and timely vehicle launch. The carline was successfully brought to market, continuing the OEM’s reputation for high-quality commercial vehicles — and VTS were proud to have played a key role in that success.