Advanced proving ground aids Volvo vision 2020

Advanced proving ground aids Volvo vision 2020

Volvo Car Group is driving their vision for safer Volvos by 2020 forward with the use of the world's first full-scale proving ground.

The proving ground Asta (Active Safety Test Area) Zero is located in close proximity to the Volvo Cars headquarters in western Sweden and will be used to further develop its active extensive range of safety systems.

Volvo Cars, in collaboration with universities and industry partners, will undertake a range of initiatives from strategic vehicle research and innovation projects to targeted research projects at the site.

With a total surface area of about 2,000,000-square-metres, AstaZero features test environments that replicate real world conditions, including: rural road, city area, multilane road and high-speed areas.

One of the facility's greatest assets is its flexibility, with a design that permits the construction of unique, customised environments. CEO of AstaZero Pether Wallin said: "You can simulate all types of real-world traffic scenarios. At most proving grounds, the options are more limited."

These conditions are crucial for studying the way cars interact with moving obstacles such as other cars, pedestrians, cycles, mopeds, motorcycles, trucks, buses and even animals that suddenly appear. In certain studies, such as those involving complex traffic situations and high speeds, robots will operate the test vehicles.

Anders Axelson of Volvo Cars Safety Centre said: "Safety testing under realistic circumstances is a prerequisite for developing our active safety systems,

"The facility will play several important roles: not only will it help us meet our safety vision, it will also help us further develop safety functions that will address non-motorists, such as pedestrians and cyclists."

by: Danielle Bagnall