Argonne National Laboratory's tech drives innovation in electric vehicles at Chicago Auto Show

CHICAGO - Argonne National Laboratory doesn't have a spot reserved on the floor at the Chicago Auto Show, and the Government Research Center doesn't have a badge on any of the cars or trucks on display. 

But, you can bet that much of the tech found in this year's models was perfected out west in Lemont. 

Good Day Chicago took viewers on a joyride high atop one of the tree test tracks at this year's Chicago Auto Show, where, for the first time in McCormick Place history, electric vehicles are taking center stage and automakers can thank Lemont's Argonne Laboratory. 

RELATED: Lemont's Argonne National Labs pioneers fast-charging super-station for EVs

Many of the high-tech bells and whistles have been tested, studied, and improved inside what's known as the "Advanced Mobility Technology Lab."

"Cars have been around for a hundred years and I think they're changing so rapidly right now that the kind of information we get out of the lab is important to make sure that is a smooth process," said Michael Duoba, a research engineer. 

Unlike gas-powered vehicles, EVs can't draw heat off of the engine. The challenge for engineers is generating heat off of a battery pack. 

But, how do you know if a heater works inside a climate-controlled environment? 

"The laboratory can go down to zero degrees Fahrenheit, and it can go all the way up to 95, even 100, but the standard that we run is at 95 degrees and the lamps that load so that every time we run a test, this is how it's done," said Duoba. 

Before you consider making the switch from a gas to a plug-in vehicle, you'll want to know how energy efficient it is.

Inside the mobility lab is a dynamometer – otherwise known as a treadmill for cars and trucks – that can simulate driving conditions just about anywhere. 

"What the vehicle does is drive the exact prescribed trace every time you're on a test and the yellow line is the way the car is driving. The red line is what we should be driving and that way we make sure that every time we run the city cycle, it's exactly the same," Duoba said. 

The government lab research at Argonne is pubically funded with test results published on the internet, offering students and researchers the opportunity to take the data and improve on it with their own ideas and invention. 

And, the collaborative results often pay dividends. 

"The development process is very long and you have to be very patient to see some breakthrough in the lab that should come out to a car you buy. Without that breakthrough, you're not going to have those advanced vehicles that we're seeing today," Duoba said.