BYD calls it a venue for “track racing, professional racer training, and diverse circuit experiences”, built with the goal of making professional-level facilities ‘accessible’ and showcasing new energy vehicles. It has eight ‘experience zones’ that enable drivers to test BYD vehicles under a range of challenging scenarios.
First, there’s the All-Terrain Circuit. It combines indoor sand dune crossing, off-road driving, water-crossing, and other driving environments where BEVs can be put to the test. This includes a 29.6m vertical drop sand slope, which has reportedly been certified by Guinness as the world’s highest and largest dune climbing facility for car testing. The 70m-long water crossing pool meanwhile has underwater observation glass so that people can watch vehicles traverse through the water.
There’s a number of other aspects to the testing circuit, including the ‘Kick-Plate’ which is designed to simulate driving on ice using a wet polished cement surface. This includes suction plates which can simulate the loss of control on this kind of terrain. There’s also the ‘Low Friction Circle’ – a water-covered smooth basalt brick circular track which has a friction similar to that between ice and snow; BYD states this can be used to try out drifting.
Images: BYD
Finally, a 1758m race track lets visitors experience driving at high speeds on a typical race track, with a number of racing scenarios. A 15,300m sq. ‘dynamic paddock’ further features over a dozen driving scenarios where guests can test out in-car technology such as automated parking.
A further two circuits are set to open in Hefei and Shaoxing. No details on timelines have yet been shared but BYD has confirmed that the off-road area in Shaoxing covers 2000 acres at an altitude of 500 meters.
