China's largest winter automobile testing base in Yakeshi City of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region officially started a extreme cold weather testing season on Sunday.
Carried out on the frozen surface covering an area of over 300 hectares in the Miandu River National Wetland Park at a temperature of over 30 degrees below zero, the testing comprises braking performance, chassis control and low-temperature range durability of cars.
"Through a large amount of testing and debugging during winter, we enable the vehicle's 'brain' to learn how to precisely control its 'limbs,' namely the precise control over the four wheels of a car. This provides drivers with accurate feedback, confidence and a comfortable driving experience," said Dong Xiaofei, a senior engineer of the extreme testing center at the CATARC Automotive Test Center Hulunbuir.
One of the testing subjects is the antilock braking system (ABS) test on icy surfaces. During the test, engineers monitor whether the system can prevent wheel lockup, and maintain steering ability and vehicle stability during emergency braking, while minimizing the braking distance.
"This year, we have launched a project to build an all-season ice and snow testing base for intelligent connected new energy vehicles (NEVs), in striving to make technological breakthroughs in crucial parts of the industrial chain, such as NEV sensors, drive-by-wire chassis and power batteries. This will strengthen China's voice in the field of extreme environment verification. Once the project is completed, it will be the world's largest first-ever indoor ice and snow testing field with the most comprehensive operating conditions, including the snowing scenario," said Liu Dongjian, deputy general manager of the CATARC Automotive Test Center Hulunbuir.
In winter, the weather in Hulunbuir is extremely cold and dry, with temperatures dropping to minus 25 degrees Celsius to minus 33 degrees Celsius.
China's largest winter auto testing base kicks off extreme cold weather testing season
China's Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) completed the final round of third-party evaluation of its stress test effectiveness on Wednesday, ahead of its island-wide special customs operations next week.
The Hainan FTP will officially launch island-wide special customs operations on Dec 18 this year.
Following the rollout, Hainan will adopt a two-tier customs supervision model: freer access at the first line, regulated access at the second line, and free flow within the island. This system is designed to facilitate trade between Hainan and regions outside China's customs border, while maintaining standard controls for goods entering the mainland.
The evaluation team conducted on-site assessments on Wednesday at the centralized inspection yard for freight at Xinhai Port and South Port in Haikou, the capital of south China's Hainan Province. These are among Hainan's 10 second-line ports set up between the FTP and the mainland.
The tests covered multiple scenarios at second-line ports, including normal customs clearance, security anomalies, and targeted customs checks.
The evaluation, which ran from Dec 2 to 10, focused primarily on the integrated drills and 7×24-hour hot-running operations at second-line ports and non-customs sites, as well as the rectification of problems identified in the previous two rounds of testing.
The evaluation team concluded that previously identified problems had been largely resolved, clearance procedures were smoother and more orderly, and the system could meet the needs of most market entities.
"Integrated drills are comprehensive stress tests carried out based on previous stress testing. They examine coordination among various departments, including customs, public security, and on-site venue staff. Through the evaluation, we found that coordination between departments is smooth, the relevant software and hardware facilities are all in place, and we are fully prepared for the special customs operations," said Jin Lu, staff member of the Stress Testing and Risk Prevention Division of the Office of Deepening Overall Reform at the Hainan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.
Hainan FTP completes third-party evaluation of stress tests
