WABCO is planning to invest up to US$21 million in the expansion of its own test track for heavy trucks and buses, further consolidating its position as a global technology leader.

WABCO Holdings Inc. recently held its ground-breaking ceremony for the expansion of its Erich Reinecke test track in Jeversen, Germany. WABCO is planning to invest up to US$21 million to expand its commercial vehicle testing capability for heavy-duty trucks and buses, further consolidating its position as a global technology leader.

The test track already plays an important role today in the testing and development of new solutions and technologies driving the commercial vehicle industry‘s vision of an autonomous, connected and electric future. With the expansion, a separate project centre covering an area of more than 1000m² and two additional truck halls will be added. Additionally, a new 3.6 kilometre oval circuit replicating real-life highway driving conditions will be built to allow the testing of technologies such as lane departure warning systems, traffic jam assistants, and highway pilots or platooning.

“We have been developing innovative systems to make vehicles safer and easier to control since 1869,” said Christian Brenneke, chief technology officer at WABCO. “Today, we pave the path towards autonomous driving – on roads, highways and at the freight depot. Providing the commercial vehicle industry continuously with accident avoiding safety and automation systems requires an increasing complexity of vehicle testing and validation. With the expansion of our test track we enable validation of fully autonomous vehicles as well as further innovative advanced driver assistance systems.”

In August 2018, WABCO opened its new Global Technology and Innovation Center in Hanover, Germany, as its largest research and development centre. The expansion of the Erich Reinecke test track now adds a further effective unit for the development of advanced safety and efficiency systems for trucks, buses and trailers, bringing WABCO‘s innovations to the street for the first time.

“With this investment, we are setting new standards for a progressive and forward-looking test environment in order to continue differentiating ourselves from other suppliers with innovative offerings. At the same time, the test track expansion is a further commitment to Germany as a research and development hub,” said Jürgen Heller, managing director of WABCO Germany.