Honda R&D Asia Pacific has opened a new Bt1.7bn proving ground at the Rojana Industrial Park in Prachinburi, Thailand. The 800,000m², facility incorporates eight test courses, with a total length of 8km, specially designed for the Asia and Oceania region. It will be used for analysis of vehicles and motorcycles and in future is also expected to be used to test models for other regions.
Test courses include the following:
1) The oval course: the 2.18km course will be used for high-speed testing plus other evaluation such as wind noise in the cabin and steering.
2) The winding course: this 1.38km track will be used for performance testing, including brake systems analysis and vehicle stability. The winding course simulates terrain of varying elevations, and incorporates 17 turns and blind spots.
3) The vehicle dynamics area: this extended area from the oval course will be used to test stability control at high speeds and braking efficiency during sharp turns.
4) The wet course simulates wet and slippery road conditions, and features the pool road, a test road alongside the splash road, and the wet brake road, which can adjust the water level from 0mm to 1,000mm to simulate flooding which is common in Asia, and also test water resistance and any effects on the engine.
5) The ride road course simulates road surfaces from different countries in Asia and Oceania, including concrete highway, and features a noise testing road with damaged asphalt, and a camber road.
6) The special surface course was designed to model rough road surfaces with 3D technology and will be used to test the durability of the underbody of a vehicle. The course has eight roads, which include the speed breaker and the concrete rough road.
7) The slope course will be used to test engine strength and braking performance.
8) The straight course is a 1.2km course to test fuel economy and acceleration.
August 2, 2017