The world's first full-scale test track opened in Sweden last week, with city and rural environments, as well as ful multi-lane motorways.
The facility, called AstaZero and built in conjunction with the Volvo Group, is located in Borås, east of Gothenburg. The Swedish manufacturer will use the site to test and develop its active safety technology for trucks.
The testing area extends to 2,000,000 sq m and includes 6km of rural road, as well as a simulated city where trucks can be tested in heavy traffic with other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.
The site also includes a multi-lane motorway and an area for high-speed testing.
Peter Kronberg, Volvo's safety director, says AstaZero gives the manufacturer "a unique advantage" when testing new safety systems.
"By using the proving ground's sophisticated equipment and advanced test environments, we will become even better at mitigating real-life accidents," he states.
At the track opening event last week (21 August 2014), Volvo demonstrated how its electronic stabilisation system can prevent long trucks from overturning when cornering at high speeds, and how automatic braking can prevent collisions between a truck and a passenger car.
