The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport supports the future vehicle industry in non-metropolitan areas by establishing infrastructure for the Autonomous Vehicle Regional Testbed (C-Track), the Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center, and the Automotive Parts Certification Support Center.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 20th that it has established infrastructure to support the future car industry, such as autonomous vehicle testbeds and eco-friendly vehicle certification centers, in regions including Chungcheong-do and Gwangju Metropolitan City to support balanced national development in conjunction with the future car industry.

With the establishment of the 'Autonomous Vehicle Regional Testbed (C-Track)' in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, the 'Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center' in Gwangju Metropolitan City, and the 'Automotive Parts Certification Support Center' in Hongseong, South Chungcheong Province, it is expected to provide stronger support for the future vehicle industry ecosystem in non-metropolitan areas.

■ Autonomous Vehicle Regional Testbed (C-Track)

The 'Autonomous Vehicle Regional Testbed (C-Track)' established in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, was built to respond to the demand for autonomous driving technology development in non-metropolitan areas by expanding small and medium-sized testbeds and to promote the creation of region-specific mobility services through the nurturing of local companies and the training of specialized personnel.

▲ ChungbukYulcha Area Testbed (C-Track) (Image source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The testbed site in Chungcheongbuk-do, selected through a public competition in 2019, is a suitable location for a testbed where an organic cooperation system can be established between Chungbuk National University’s Ochang Campus, small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and research institutes. It is scheduled to undergo trial operations starting this December and officially open in March 2023.

The newly established regional testbed is equipped with essential autonomous vehicle testing facilities, such as signalized intersections and pedestrian walkways, as well as testing facilities suitable for the development and demonstration of mobility services by replicating a wider variety of urban environments, including construction zones, BRT dedicated lanes, and roadside parking areas.

In addition, to match the advancement of domestic autonomous driving technology, test facilities with high driving difficulty, such as unpaved roads, mountain slopes, and parking areas, have been constructed. Furthermore, a test building capable of vehicle modification and system adjustment during autonomous vehicle testing has been built to facilitate technology development by research institutions.

■ Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center

The 'Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center' established in Gwangju Metropolitan City was built to establish a regulatory certification testing infrastructure aimed at strengthening the safety of eco-friendly vehicles and key components in line with the eco-friendly vehicle dissemination policy.

▲ Gwangju Metropolitan City Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center (Image source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

Establishment of centers for local governments in 2019 Gwangju Metropolitan City was finally selected as a candidate site through a public call for proposals. In February of this year, battery safety evaluation equipment was operated to support 58 certifications, and next year, fire test chambers for full-vehicle fire testing and collision and impact safety evaluation equipment will also be installed and operated.

The evaluation test equipment includes 6 types of battery safety evaluation equipment, 11 types of collision evaluation equipment, 6 types of impact evaluation equipment, 1 type of fire reenactment equipment, and 2 types of auxiliary equipment.

The newly established 'Eco-friendly Vehicle and Parts Certification Center' is encouraging technology development by domestic manufacturers through technical support for small-scale manufacturers of eco-friendly vehicles and parts, research on safety standards, and research on fire spread prevention technology development. It is also supporting the growth of local companies related to eco-friendly vehicle parts by providing partial support for evaluation test item costs to companies in Gwangju Metropolitan City (33 cases, 260 million won in 2022).

■ Automotive Parts Certification Support Center

The 'Automotive Parts Certification Support Center,' established in Naepo New City, Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do, was built to support the development and certification of replacement parts, post-certification management, and the local automotive parts industry following the introduction of the automotive replacement parts certification system in January 2015.

▲ Chungnam Hongseong Automotive Parts Certification Support Center   (Image source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

carBody parts are limited to those certified by the Korea Automobile Parts Association after reviewing their performance and quality, ensuring that consumers can use parts identical or similar in performance and quality to those of vehicles released by automobile manufacturers with confidence.

We started the business in 2018, completed the building in February of this year and received approval for use, and plan to install and operate equipment to support the development and certification of automotive replacement parts next year.

The evaluation test equipment includes 14 types of test equipment for exterior parts such as bumpers, 11 types of test equipment for lighting parts, 33 types of test equipment for functional and consumable parts such as brake discs, and 5 types of support equipment for measuring specifications.

The newly established 'Automotive Parts Certification Support Center' will lay the foundation for securing various alternative parts by supporting the development and certification of replacement parts for small and medium-sized parts manufacturers lacking manpower and technical capabilities. Additionally, it plans to foster local research personnel by providing the center's infrastructure to universities and research institutions and deploying experts from affiliated organizations to graduate school curricula (such as safety standards and certification systems).

Park Ji-hong, Director General of Automotive Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, “We expect that establishing testbeds and certification centers to support the automotive industry in each region will secure the foundation for a win-win system of regional innovation.” He added, “Going forward, we plan to take the lead in creating public value by increasing the utilization of regional infrastructure to foster the future automotive industry and providing R&D technical support for the mutual growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.”