Ford’s Visual Performance Evaluation Lab is the place where the carmaker tests outdoor conditions on vehicle interiors to reduce sun glare on vehicle controls and instrument panels.

The lab benefits from 6,000 watts of light, allowing engineers to re-create any lighting condition in the world, which is a good thing especially when developing global cars like the 2014 Ford Fiesta and the new Mustang.

Known internally as the Lighting Lab, the facility uses a planetarium-like dome to simulate sunlight conditions from dawn to dusk, re-creating the phases of the earth’s revolution around the sun. Furthermore, additional lights lining the perimeter of the dome can be adjusted to simulate the effects of weather conditions.

The facility was also used to develop the 2015 Ford Mustang, more specifically to create highly legible gauges and new, glare-free aluminum dash panel.

“With the Lighting Lab, we can ensure that the first time a buyer sits in the 2015 Ford Mustang, that person will be able to see the interior as the designers originally envisioned it – in the best light possible,” said Mahendra Dassanayake, Ford lighting technical specialist.

Ford’s Lighting Lab can simulate light conditions at every time of day, while the additional lighting in the dome is used to vary weather conditions from bright sun to full cloud cover. You can learn how the lab works from the videos posted below.

By Dan Mihalascu

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