ICAT which possesses the new NVH, passive safety (crash lab), tyre and EMC testing facilities are spread over 46.6 acres of land. The new test track will facilitate the testing and validation agencies to expand its scope of services offered to automakers and suppliers in India. The test track measures 1.85 km in circumference that includes two 700m straights stretches and two 250m banked portions that make high-speed cornering possible without the need to apply brakes.
The angel of banking varies from 35 degrees to 55 degrees that support a maximum speed of 90km/hr while cornering. While one can reach a top speed of 160km/hr on the straight patch.
There are multiple tracks built in the inner periphery of the test track for different testing purposes. Some of the tests that track supports are a wet ABS testing track, steering pad track that helps to measure and test the steering torque. Also, there is an external noise track built as per the ISO-standard bitumen that will help manufacturers to test tyre and road noise at speeds up to 50km/hr.
Two other tracks built are an elevation track that tests starting gradeability, descent and hand-brake test and the other track is a water wading track that tests underbody seepage and battery security in an electric vehicle.
The test track took almost one year to complete and came at a price of Rs. 50 Crore to the NATRIP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project) which acts as a parent to ICAT.
The cost excludes the expenditure of land procurement, equipment, and a test track management system (TTMS) which has yet not been fully installed.
On the facility’s inauguration event, Arvind Sawant, Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, said, "ICAT is very rapidly going in the direction of ensuring vehicle safety in India. The vehicles coming on the roads should be safe, and as a certification agency, ICAT can now test and validate these models with more capability at hand."