General Motors proving grounds

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Template:Short description General Motors operates several proving grounds.

North America

Desert Proving Ground Yuma

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File:General Motors Desert Proving Ground.jpg
General Motors Desert Proving Ground in Yuma County, Arizona

Desert Proving Ground Yuma is a facility co-built and leased by General Motors located within the US Army's Yuma Proving Ground, near Yuma, Arizona. The facility came fully online as of July 2009. The site contains an inner facility sitting on Script error: No such module "convert". with a Script error: No such module "convert". campus containing Script error: No such module "convert". of building area and also has Script error: No such module "convert". of roadway. One of the main reasons that this site was chosen was the already imposed no fly zone which helps prevent unwanted photography of pre-production prototypes undergoing testing. The facility is also used by the US Army for their own testing requirements.[1]

Other such features are:

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  • Script error: No such module "convert". circle track (3 lanes)
  • Script error: No such module "convert". straight track (2–3 lanes)
  • Script error: No such module "convert". Ride Road (2–4 lanes)
  • Script error: No such module "convert". Dynamics Pad
  • Interior Noise Road
  • Noise Pass-by Facility
  • Misc. grades
  • Script error: No such module "convert". main building
  • Garage (40 hoists)
  • Office (120 residents/visitors)
  • Product Electronics/Instrumentation Lab
  • Alignment/Tire facilities
  • Transmission Build Room
  • Machine/Fab shop
  • Parts Crib
  • Warehouse Script error: No such module "convert".
  • Sundrella (40 hoists)
  • Covered parking
  • Fuel facility
  • Car wash
  • Scale House / Ballast Station

Milford Proving Ground

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File:GM proving grounds.jpg
Aerial photograph of the GM proving grounds in Milford, Michigan

The General Motors Milford Proving Ground was the industry's first dedicated automobile testing facility when it opened in 1924.[2] It is the longest continuously operating proving ground in the world. It is located in Milford, Michigan and covers Script error: No such module "convert".. 4,800 staff work in its 142 buildings todayScript error: No such module "Unsubst".. The proving ground includes the equivalent of Script error: No such module "convert". of roads representative of conditions found on public roadways and other specialty surfaces for vehicle testing. Some roads are open only to drivers who have passed special performance driving training.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Facilities
File:GM proving ground Milford.JPG
Milford Proving Ground main gate, General Motors Rd.
  • The VDTA ("Vehicle Dynamics Test Area"), also known as "Black Lake", is a Script error: No such module "convert". pad of blacktop for vehicle dynamics testing. Waterfowl have been known to try to land on this "lake" of asphalt. At the ends of the VDTA are two semicircle tracks used for accelerating vehicles up to high speed before entering the pad. A controlled low-friction area made of ceramic tiles is on one side of the pad. Another area is coated with the asphalt sealant Jennite and can be watered down to produce a low friction surface.
  • The Oval Track is a Script error: No such module "convert". circuit
  • The Circle Track encloses the VDTA and is a Script error: No such module "convert". banked circle. It has five lanes posted with speed limits increasing towards the outermost lane. The speed limit for the outermost lane is 100+ MPH (160+  km/h). Due to the banking, each lane can be driven at its posted speed all the way around the circle without needing to touch the steering wheel, given proper wheel alignment and tire pressures. The track surface is extremely hard "dolomite" concrete for wear resistance.
  • The North/South Straightaway is Script error: No such module "convert". in total length and includes two Script error: No such module "convert". straightaways
  • The East/West Straightaway is Script error: No such module "convert". around and includes two 1.2 mi (1.9 km)straightaways
  • "Seven Sisters" is a short course featuring seven tight curves, some level, some banked. It is one lane that can be driven in both directions, so only one car is allowed on the course at a time. This is used for testing vehicles under transient lateral acceleration loads.
  • 12 Mile Road is a straight section of pavement which duplicates the historical surface texture of a section of 12 Mile Road near Detroit.
  • The Ride and Handling loop is enclosed by the Circle Track and has varied surfaces and turns.
  • The Vehicle Safety & Crashworthiness Lab includes a recently added rollover test facility.

Cupuán Proving Ground

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General Motors Proving Ground Cupuan del Rio is situated between Lázaro Cárdenas and Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. The facility opened in 2006 and features a circle track, several off-road courses, and is primarily used for testing HVAC systems.

As of 2011 the grounds are mostly abandoned, and only a local security staff remains. This is due to the volatile, potentially unsafe situation in the region and the access routes to/from Cupuán.

South America

Cruz Alta Proving Ground, Brazil

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General Motors Cruz Alta Proving Ground at Indaiatuba, Brazil [1]

  • Founded in 1974
  • Proving Ground facilities
  • It is the largest and most comprehensive proving ground in Latin America, and the second largest in the General Motors Corporation. It comprises the most advanced test tracks, which precisely replicate the most varied and demanding road conditions. [2]
  • GM do Brasil is committed to the preservation of forests and the animal species that live there. Cruz Alta Proving Ground for example, has test roads and tracks that sit amid a forest reserve of Script error: No such module "convert"., including Script error: No such module "convert". of reforested trees. The Proving Ground also features Script error: No such module "convert". of Atlantic Forest original vegetation; 10,000 planted fruit trees and more than Script error: No such module "convert". of lawns. In addition, GM do Brasil recently partnered with IBAMA, the Brazilian Environment Protection Agency, to monitor the abundant proliferation of capybaras at that location.

Europe

Testzentrum Dudenhofen

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File:Opel-Testgelände Rodgau-Dudenhofen Aerial fg140.jpg
Opel test track in Dudenhofen

Opel, which since 2021 is not owned by General Motors, operates a proving ground near Dudenhofen, Germany [3], opened in 1964. Facilities include a Script error: No such module "convert". high-speed circuit, a Script error: No such module "convert". section of Belgian pavé and a hill circuit with gradients up to 30%.

Arjeplog

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Opel, which since 2021 is not owned by General Motors, operates a winter climate proving ground near Arjeplog, Sweden. Most of the tracks are on the lake ice. Arjeplog has an average temperature of Script error: No such module "convert". in January.

Australia

Lang Lang Proving Ground

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The Lang Lang Proving Ground is a vehicle testing facility located at Lang Lang, Victoria, Australia, approximately Script error: No such module "convert". south-east of Melbourne.[3]

It was opened in 1957 by Holden on a Script error: No such module "convert". site off the Bass Highway.[4] It was used to test every Holden model from the Holden FC onwards. It is a dedicated 877-hectare site with Script error: No such module "convert". of road systems, including a Script error: No such module "convert". 4 lane circular track (speed bowl), Script error: No such module "convert". and handling course, a Script error: No such module "convert". noise road and Script error: No such module "convert". diameter skid pan. It is also equipped with an Emissions Laboratory and Safety Test Facility with crash barrier and HYGE sled.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In February 2020 GM announced the test track and design centre would close with all jobs being redundant to reflect the GM decision to quit global right hand drive vehicle production.[5] In September 2020, it was sold to VinFast. It will continue to be used by GM Specialty Vehicles.[6] In October 2021, VinFast disbanded its local engineering operations and put the Lang Lang Proving Ground test track up for sale.[7] As of 2024, VinFast has not found a buyer for the track.

Asia

Guangde County, Anhui, China

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Shanghai GM (SGM) and Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center (PATAC), both joint-ventures of SAIC Motor with GM China, opened in September 2012 China's largest proving ground in Guangde County, Anhui, China.[8]

Proposed / Closed Proving Grounds Facilities

Mezcala Proving Ground

GM's proposed facility at Mezcala, Mexico was terminated in the planning phase due to breakdown in land negotiations. The facility was to take over Desert Proving Ground (DPG) tasks when GM announced DPG's closing in 2000. DPG was closed in 2009 and replaced with a new facility in Yuma, Arizona.

Desert (Mesa) Proving Ground

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GM Desert Proving Ground in Mesa, Arizona, USA was a General Motors facility for the testing of HVAC, propulsion, and various automotive systems in a harsh climate. Opened in 1953, the closure of this facility was completed in 2009. It was replaced by a new facility in Yuma, Arizona, known as the Desert Proving Ground Yuma.

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Lang Lang Proving Ground, Holden
  4. ↑ "Vehicle Proving Ground in Vic", Truck & Bus Transportation July 1956, page 51.
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Holden’s Lang Lang proving grounds sold to Vietnamese start-up VinFast, GMSV to continue testing on site The West Australian September 9, 2020
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ GM and Partners Open China’s Largest Proving Ground

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External links

Template:Sister project

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