History

A 60+ year history of determination and dedication to develop a world class proving ground. Step through time as we go through a brief history and how Chelsea Proving Grounds (CPG) became what it is today.

CPG is Open for Business

When testing on Detroit roads was no longer feasible Chrysler sought out land in Chelsea, Michigan to begin the development of a testing facility. After years of preparation and planning, CPG was ready to open its doors! Some of the first demonstrations were conducted on the oval, endurance road, water trough, sand pit, and the 20% grade. The CPG dedication day had over 600 automotive writers and newsman from the press, radio, and TV flocking to cover this momentous occasion.

Proving Grounds Expansion

To keep up with testing and requirements, the proving grounds continued to develop its space. Three new test grades were developed – 7%, 15%, and 32% which represents one of the steepest roads located in San Francisco. The test circle was constructed and paved as well as the ride road within the oval that would be used for steering evaluations, body shake, vibrations, suspension etc. This time period also brought us both tortuous roads that continue to put cars through a brutal beating today.

A Modern Upgrade

The early 2000s were the Daimler years (1998-2007). It was a time when the now famous modern-day version of the HEMI® V8 first came out in the 2003 Dodge Ram pickup truck. 2003 was the beginning of the relocation of the Jeep®-Truck Certification and Development operations from the old Jeep®-Truck Engineering facility (JTE) in Detroit to CPG and CTC. There was a boom of new building construction at CPG that started with the Emissions Fueling building in 1997, the Brake Garage in 1998, Performance Garage in 1999, the Durability Office in 2000, the Corrosion Chambers in 2000, the Emissions North Soak in 2001, and the Emissions-Powertrain Office expansion in 2002. In 2007 the original concrete High Speed Oval track was rebuilt in asphalt, and in 2010 the original Chalma Road Durability Test Course was rebuilt in concrete. In 2007 Daimler sold Chrysler to Cerberus Capital Management Group, then became Chrysler LLC (2007–2009) and Chrysler Group LLC (2009–2014) before being acquired by Fiat and becoming Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in 2014.

A New Era is Coming

2022 was a time of planning and preparation for the Electric Vehicle future under the new Stellantis umbrella. We completed installation of 18-AC Chargers and 10-DC Chargers in our test parking lots. An engineered design was done for the 50 additional DC Chargers, a new powerhouse and an upgraded Consumers substation to feed them power. All of this will be constructed next year in preparation for EV testing and vehicle development at CPG.

Photo CPG aerial engineering buildings fall

Daring Forward

Almost 70 years after its founding, Chelsea Proving Grounds is now open to external customers to provide state-of-the-art facilities for vehicle testing and development.