CMVR Expands Crash Testing Capabilities with New State-of-the-Art Facility

China Merchants Testing Vehicle Technology Research Institute (CMVR) has strengthened its position as one of China’s leading automotive safety testing organizations with the launch of a new crash test laboratory in Hefei. Developed in partnership with MESSRING, the facility addresses growing demand from the region’s rapidly expanding new-energy vehicle (NEV) industry and provides local manufacturers with faster access to world-class passive safety validation.

Located in one of China’s key automotive hubs, the new laboratory enables OEMs and suppliers to perform a full range of crash and homologation tests closer to their development centers, reducing vehicle transportation times and accelerating vehicle launch programs. The facility complements CMVR’s established operations in Chongqing while supporting both domestic certification requirements and international export validation.

The facility is built around a 238-meter-long MESSRING MicroTrack system, featuring a 135-meter double-rail section for car-to-car crash testing and a 103-meter single-rail section for barrier, pole and other impact configurations. Two dedicated underground camera pits provide unobstructed high-speed imaging from beneath the test vehicles, enabling detailed analysis of crash dynamics.

The laboratory supports:

• Frontal, side and rear impact testing
• Car-to-car collision testing
• Pole impact and rollover scenarios
• Pedestrian protection assessments
• Passenger car and commercial vehicle testing
• NEV and high-mass EV crash validation

The propulsion system can accelerate test vehicles with a total mass of up to 25 tonnes to speeds of 80 km/h, while lighter passenger vehicles can be tested at speeds of up to 120 km/h. Precision motion control delivers speed accuracy within 0.3% and impact-position repeatability of ±10 mm.

The rapid growth of electric vehicles has introduced new challenges for crash testing. Heavier vehicle weights, battery protection requirements and stricter post-crash electrical safety regulations have increased demands on testing infrastructure.

The new CMVR facility was specifically designed to address these evolving requirements. Its robust traction and foundation systems support high-mass EV crash scenarios, while synchronized data acquisition and high-speed imaging help engineers analyze structural deformation, battery pack integrity and high-voltage system performance.

The laboratory also supports the latest Chinese and international standards, including GB, UN-ECE, C-NCAP, Euro NCAP and FMVSS protocols.

A key feature of the facility is its fully integrated control architecture. MESSRING’s central control platform synchronizes propulsion systems, high-speed cameras, lighting systems, barriers and measurement equipment under a single time base, ensuring precise and repeatable test execution.

The dual film-pit layout has proven particularly valuable during early operations, allowing engineers to prepare upcoming tests while and significantly improving test throughput and workflow efficiency.

The specification and planning phase lasted approximately one year, during which CMVR and MESSRING jointly defined requirements based on market demand, regulatory developments and benchmarking studies of leading crash laboratories across Asia and Europe.

Installation, commissioning and system validation also required around twelve months. One of the most demanding aspects of the project was maintaining extremely tight alignment tolerances across the entire 238-meter MicroTrack system. Extensive calibration and synchronization work ensured all subsystems operated to microsecond-level accuracy before final acceptance.

Since entering service, the facility has already generated significant volumes of crash test data for both homologation and OEM development projects.

Looking ahead, CMVR expects continued growth in demand driven by stricter safety regulations, increasing vehicle mass, expanding EV exports and more advanced crash scenarios. Future testing programs are likely to place greater emphasis on crash compatibility, battery integrity assessment and the interaction between active safety systems and passive protection technologies.

With its new facility, CMVR is well positioned to support these evolving industry requirements while helping manufacturers develop safer vehicles for both the Chinese and global markets.