India’s first ADAS testing track in Pune to be completed by Dec: ARAI

The test city will enable the automotive industry to test and validate ADAS in a safer, secure, repeatable, and controlled environment, ensuring that ADAS features perform effectively under real-world Indian driving conditions. It is the country’s first dedicated road network exclusively created for ADAS validation under “on-road” conditions.

ADAS refers to various technologies added to modern vehicles to assist human drivers improve on-road safety. These include systems like blind spot detection system, forward collision warning system, pedestrian detection system, and automatic emergency braking system.

Ujwala Karle, Deputy Director at ARAI, said that India has major road safety issues with data showing 1.68 lakh fatalities in the past year. Around 80 per cent of these fatalities are due to driver faults, highlighting the need for action,  Karle said.

“We have cars but we also have three wheelers that are not there globally. Animals like cows or dogs on roads are also India-specific. Other Indian road conditions also will be taken into account at this track,” she said on the need for special training in India.

ARAI currently has 37,000 kilometers of data from the golden quadrilateral and 20 cities which is being used for testing and simulations. Dr Reji Mathai, Director at ARAI, said that ARAI had promised to invest Rs 500 crore in 2021 and that the goal had been met much before that. Currently, ARAI is investing over Rs 200 crore every year. “

The ADAS Show will take place on December 12 at this facility. The event, being organised by Aayera, will be attended by government officials, industry experts, and automotive manufacturers.

ARAI will showcase live ADAS testing demonstrations to highlight its advanced testing and certification capabilities. Major automotive OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and technology innovators will be invited to test their vehicles and technologies at the facility.