On the II. ZalaZONE Innovation Day, Dr. László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, leaders of BME, Széchenyi István University and Pannon University, as well as city and county politicians laid the foundation stone of a university research building and inagurated the R&D Module as the University Test Track of the ZalaZONE Automotive Proving Ground. The University Test Track is the small size representation of the large ZalaZONE proving groung with 8,500 square meters of asphalt over the entire track but it has the most important test track elements that allow performing low-speed vehicle handling and dynamics tests as well as braking tests. This environment also serves targeted testing of automated and self-driving vehicles.
Important element of the track is the 50 meters diameter Dynamic Plate. The Braking Platform has a 25 meter long low-adhesion, water-sprayed surface. The Handling Course section, a small track with only 250 meters length, is suitable for performing various low-speed vehicle dynamics and self-driving tests. The nearly 160 square meters Smart City area has four cross roads equipped with traffic control and info-communication technologies.
The aim of the facility is to strengthen collaborative research activities of universities and research institutes, and to attract researchers and scientists to ZalaZONE. The primary target users are university research teams and students, the engineers of the future. Thanks to the extensive contacts of the universities, the track is planned to serve international users as well as industrial-university collaborations in the future.
The R&D Module has entrances from two directions, that has also symbolic meaning; on the one hand, it acts as an integrated part of the ZalaZONE Automotive Proving Ground, and on the other hand, connected to the entrance from the Science Park, where children, families, students can understand current scientific and technical developments related to automated driving.