The 4x4 module is a semi-natural test site with a sharply contrasting topography and a network of unpaved roads and open fields for testing and developing all-wheel drive and all-terrain vehicles. The module has two inclines with 40% and 70% gradients over a distance of 30 metres.
The four-meter wide rough road circuit more or less follows the perimeter of the test site and is 7.1km long in total. The gradients range between 15% and 20%.
The rough road test track is a winding circuit resembling a country road with a special gravel surface made of limestone marl and limestone grit. Dirt gets into all the cracks and crevices of the vehicles, from the axle bearings or axle joints to the bodywork. This results in conclusions and measures for the vehicles daily use.
The Jura endurance course simulates the Swabian Jura with its three courses of steep slopes that allows testing under real-world conditions.
At 100,000 m2, the Bertha area is the largest asphalt area after the driving dynamics area. In German, Bertha stands for „Bereich zum Erproben und Testen von und mit hochautomatisierten Fahrzeugen“ (Area for testing highly automated vehicles). The 950 meter long and in some places 650 meter wide area is used to test driver assistance systems and autonomous vehicles. Among other things, the Bertha area offers the opportunity to test safety-relevant scenarios at highway speeds or merging or lane-changing scenarios, and to check collision avoidance functions in linear and cross-traffic.
The city quarter consists of 1.5km of city streets with various intersections. These are used to test driver assistance systems, Car-to-X communication and autonomous driving under real-world conditions. This makes it possible, for example, to simulate how autonomous vehicles communicate with one another to ensure the safety of vehicles in a city.
The oval circuit is the centrepiece of the Test Centre. The banked curves of the 4km course can be driven at a specified speed without steering.This "endless straight line" circuit simulates motorway driving - important for the development of autonomous vehicle handling.
The winding, asphalt track (stretching 4.7km) lies inside the oval circuit. Owing to its altitude profile (31 meters), the handling circuit resembles the Nürburgring.It is used to simulate longitudinal and lateral acceleration in order to assess the tyres and the vehicle handling. Everyday and unforeseen emergency scenarios are reconstructed, such as a sudden obstructions on the motorway.
All functions necessary for the testing process are carried in the Technology Centre. The former barracks have been converted into workspaces for colleagues from Research and Development, Logistics and Warehousing, as well as all functions relating to the maintenance of the vehicles (workshops, tyre centre, petrol station, electric vehicle charging stations).
