For over 30 years, SMART TESTSOLUTIONS has been standing for products and services in the field of measurement, simulation and testing. Their mission is to create products that facilitate the development and testing of mechatronics.
The company’s traditional focus is the automotive industry. Here they are active with individual components, system solutions and design and consulting services. Increasingly, however, customers from other sectors are also benefiting from the automotive focus and the associated very high quality standards.
With new products for e-mobility applications, SMART TESTSOLUTIONS is increasingly opening up markets in the shipbuilding and aviation sectors. The company’s solutions for cell voltage monitoring (CVM) on fuel cells and electrolysers are world leaders.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: Our main focus is currently on fuel cell electronics. Here we invest in high end cell voltage monitoring systems which can be used in research and development as well as in series fuel cell vehicles.
Another focus is on measurement and simulation technology for high voltage systems. In this field we benefit from our many years of experience as a developer of test systems and measurement components for the automotive industry.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: We are currently developing the next CVM generation for series application in the mobile and stationary sectors. Here we are working on meeting the increased safety requirements in the various application areas without losing sight of the economic efficiency of the products. The presentation of our new CVM G6S is planned for April 2023 at the Hydrogen & Fuel Cells EUROPE exhibition at Hannover.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: We have a wide range of products, which can be roughly divided into four areas:
1. Cell Voltage monitoring systems for stationary and mobile applications
Our systems for cell voltage monitoring are used both in research & development of electrochemical cell systems and in the corresponding series applications. We offer specially adapted CVM solutions for applications such as automotive, marine, aerospace and electrolysers.
2. I/O Modules
Our Multi-Channel Modules (MCM) allow effective and economical measurement, simulation and stimulation. We have developed the top series especially for the high demands of modern industry. We regularly expand it with new modules.
3. Test solutions
We design and implement test systems for electronic components, also using our own measurement and simulation assemblies. Here we are increasingly developing test systems for electrochemical equipment such as fuel cell systems, electrolysers and batteries in various application areas.
4. Electrical connection solutions
We have many years of experience in processing automotive-specific cables and connectors. We manufacture wiring harnesses, adapters and breakout boxes for test applications.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: We have been pursuing the vision of a hydrogen economy for many years, even when hydrogen was not yet at the top of the agenda. What was then still considered a niche market has increasingly gained momentum in recent years and is currently experiencing booming demand. This development has enabled us to continuously expand our product portfolio and increasingly offer series products.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: The trend that we see is that OEMs and manufacturers of cars and other vehicles seriously think about replacing diesel vehicles by emission-free fuel cell vehicles. They are working hard to get fuel cell vehicles ready for series production. They have recognised that even in production vehicles continuous monitoring of the cell voltage is essential. These provide information about the condition of the fuel cell stack at all times and are indispensable for the implementation of the operating strategies. For this reason, we have recently expanded our product range in the area of Cell Voltage Monitoring with a robust and cheaper solution for series application.
Another trend we are seeing is that hydrogen production is becoming more of a focus. Also, for hydrogen production plants our CVM products are interesting. We cover the entire hydrogen chain with our products. In this respect, we feel very well positioned with regard to the aforementioned trends.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: Recently we introduced a cell voltage monitor for electrolysers. Our “CVM Ex.” This can be used to monitor the cell voltages of electrolysers and thus ensure that the voltages remain within the permissible range during the electrolysis process. The measuring modules are housed in an Atex-certified enclosure, so that the explosion protection requirement, which is important in electrolysis, is met. New for industrial applications is the provision of the data in a Modbus protocol for easy integration into the plant control system.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
SMART TESTSOLUTIONS: We expect the high demand for hydrogen to continue in 2023. This is also shown to us by the increasing collaboration on projects from the research sector, where intensive work is being done on the development of clean energy solutions. So, it remains exciting.