When constructions is completed at Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, the ZalaZone will be the largest automotive testing facility in Europe, and is being built not only for traditional testing and development driving but for evaluating and validating autonomous vehicles and technology.
With that in mind, AB Dynamics, a British supplier, has announced the Hungarian facility has ordered equipment include driving robots, advanced driver-assistance system platforms and a drive-by-wire system for the facility’s self-driving vehicle evaluations.
The ZalaZone has highway and Smart City Zones as well as a high-speed oval and a 1.2-mile handling course. Handling courses typically have been used for fine-tuning driven vehicles, but the one at ZalaZone also is designed for self-driving vehicles.
Construction began in 2017 on the traditional test roads and a second phase, the Smart City roads, is nearly underway. A third phase of construction is scheduled to being in 2022 to add more facilities to the Smart City Zone.