On 25 March, we told you about our DVN visit with the Mercedes Benz lighting team and preview of their new facility. Now we are excited to announce the official opening!
With the new, state-of-the-art and flexibly usable light test centre, Mercedes-Benz are once again expanding the wide range of testing facilities at their Immendingen Test and Technology Centre. At 135 metres long and eight metres high, the new light test facility is one of the largest of its kind in the automotive industry. It allows detailed testing of headlamp systems under constant, reproducible conditions – regardless of time of day, weather, and environmental influences.
A complete country road is realistically recreated. Their specially developed asphalt mixture comes very close to the reflective properties of an aged road. Up to five cars can be tested in parallel, including simulation of oncoming traffic or vehicles in front. Delineators can be extended sideways every 20 metres, and pedestrian dummies can also be flexibly integrated. The investment costs for the new light test center amounted to 10.5 million euros, with a construction period of two years.
With high-tech test facilities and advanced test methods, Immendingen continues to set new standards throughout the industry. This also includes the ‘automated heath endurance run’: driving robots control the test vehicles in a fully automated manner over a rough-road route. Their potholes, bumps, and cobblestones pose a challenge especially for the chassis and body.
In peak weeks, in addition to over 250 permanent employees, a further 2,100 people from other locations are on site for testing.
Mercedes-Benz have invested €200m in the construction of the site on a former Bundeswehr base since the groundbreaking ceremony ten years ago. And since the opening, another €200m has gone toward expanding the site.
