The National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX)

Context:

India gets Asia’s longest and world’s fifth longest High Speed Track for automobiles.

Key Highlights:

• Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises today inaugurated NATRAX- the High Speed Track(HST) in Indore
• It is the longest track in Asia.
• NATRAX, developed in an area of 1000 acres of land, is a one stop solution for all sorts of high speed performance tests for widest categories of vehicles from 2 wheelers to heavy tractor trailers.
• The track is 11.3 km.
• The NATRAX centre has multiple test capabilities like:
  • measurements of maximum speed,
  • acceleration, constant speed fuel consumption,
  • emission tests through real road driving simulation,
  • high speed handling and stability evaluation during manoeuvred such as lane change, high speed durability testing, etc. and is a Centre of excellence for Vehicle Dynamics.
• HST is used for measuring the maximum speed capability of high-end cars like BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Tesla and so forth which cannot be measured on any of the Indian test tracks. Being centrally located in Madhya Pradesh,
• It is accessible to most of the major OEMs. Foreign OEMs will be looking at NATRAX HST for the development of prototype cars for Indian conditions . At present, foreign OEMs go to their respective high speed track abroad for high speed test requirements.
• It is one stop solution for all sorts of high speed performance tests, being one of the largest in the world.
• It can cater to widest category of vehicles; say from two wheelers to the heaviest tractor trailers. Vehicle can achieve max speed of 375 Kmph on curves with steering control and it has less banking on ovals making it also one of the safest test track globally.

About NATRAX (Indore)

The National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX Indore) will be a world-class automotive proving ground setup on 4,140 acres land for comprehensive testing and evaluation of all type of vehicles. The site is located between NH-3 and N-59 and well connected with road. The facility will have all types of surface type to test vehicles against varying terrains and stringency. The core of the facility is the oval 4-lane high speed track of 13.6 Km designed for a neutral speed of 250 kmph on curves. The large part of test load on this facility is related to evaluation of automotive performance such as max speed, acceleration, break, efficiency, noise, vibration, handling, stability etc. NATRAX will be the Center Of Excellence for Vehicle Dynamics. NATRiP has planned an expenditure of about Rs.Rs.500 Crores to create this world class facility

Facilities at the centers:

1. Vehicle Dynamics Lab (Center of Excellence).

2. R&DTracks (Proving Ground).

3. NVH (testing on tracks).

4. Fatigue (Testing on tracks).

5. Powertrain Lab.

Source: PIB