Mercedes’s new center to test headlights against weather and environmental conditions

Mercedes-Benz’s new Light Testing Center is a one-of-its-kind in the automotive industry, according to a press release. 

The center recently opened at the Mercedes-Benz Global Proving Ground Immendingen, standing at 26 feet high and 443 feet long. 

“It enables detailed testing of headlight systems under constant, reproducible conditions — independent of time of day, weather or environmental influences,” the release says. 

A country road spanning 443 feet was created using an asphalt mixture specially developed to replicate the reflective properties of an aged road, the release says. Reflector posts can be deployed in 65-foot increments at the side of the road, and pedestrian dummies can also be flexibly integrated. Up to five vehicles can be tested in parallel, with the option to simulate oncoming traffic ahead. 

The nearly $12 million facility took about two years to construct. 

Mercedes-Benz Heide durability circuit is also housed at the Global Proving Ground Immendingen, the release says. At the circuit, robots steer test vehicles autonomously along a rough-road track. The chassis and body of vehicles are tested against potholes, bumps, and cobblestones on the track.

“The automation of this process increases the precision of driving maneuvers, reduces strain on human test drivers, enables 24/7 operation, and significantly accelerates testing — all while maintaining the same level of stress on the cars,” the release says. 

Test cars complete up to 3,728 miles on the circuit, the equivalent of 186,411 miles of real-world driving. Every 0.6 miles on the Heide durability circuit is equivalent to 93 miles of real-world driving on an extremely rough road. 

The circuit has also been digitally mapped, allowing Mercedes-Benz to conduct preliminary simulations. 

Oftentimes, many thousands of miles are driven digitally before the first physical test miles are driven on a test site, the release says. It adds that more than 100 different chassis variations are digitally tested for each new model series. The most suitable variants are then installed on a prototype vehicle and tested physically in Immendingen. 

“The Immendingen Test and Technology Center is the first digitized Mercedes-Benz proving ground — here, real and virtual vehicle testing merge seamlessly,” said Markus Schäfer, Mercedes-Benz chief technology officer, development and purchasing, in the release. “By digitally mapping the proving ground, using automated test programs and employing state-of-the-art sensor technology, we are making vehicle development more efficient, faster, and more sustainable than ever before.”

About 30,000 test vehicles have covered more than 62 million miles since Mercedes-Benz began building the Immendingen in 2015, the release says. It covers 1,285 acres, and has more than 30 test modules, 53 miles of road-simulating tracks, and 256 junctions. This includes complex city intersections and mountain passes with about 591 feet of elevation change, from rough roads to highways and off-road tracks. 

“There are routes that replicate the road conditions and road markings in European countries, as well as copies of roads and road markings from the U.S., China, and Japan,” the release says. “Up to 400 vehicles can be on the roads at the same time in the various test programs. There are also special tracks with gradients ranging from 30% to 100%.”

An artificial sun allows vehicles to be tested under low-light or bright-light sources as well as overcast days, or at dusk, according to the release. Heavy rain and spray can also be simulated using special systems. 

“Approximately 80% of test drives previously carried out on public roads have now been relocated to the site,” the release says. “International testing activities have also been significantly reduced without compromising testing quality — an important measure to shorten development times, accelerate vehicle maturity, and reduce the carbon footprint of development.”

Nearly 250 employees work at the site, with up to 2,100 employees from other plants visiting every week.

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Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz