NATRAX (National Automotive Test Track), pithampur,dist Dhar, is Asia's longest and one of the high-speed state-of-the-art tracks in India [1] for automotive testing and certification. [2] It is the fifth largest track in the world. [3]
The 11.3-km high-speed track [3] is built under NATRiP (National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project), a project of the Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India, has an area of approximately 3000 acres and the track is developed in an area of about 1000 acres at a cost or Rs.1321 crores. The Automotive Mission Plan (2016–26) is a vision document by Government of India that was planned for the development of the industry in pursuit of economic growth and the track was part of it. It is located near the industrial township of Pithampur, in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh. It is 50 km from the Indore, and is on the NH-52 by-pass road which connects Indore to Mumbai.
An auto show was held at NATRAX in May 2022. About 80 super cars and 60 super bikes from Indore, Bhopal and Delhi took part in different races at the show. The three-day show attracted about 1200 visitors, including students. [4]
It has two semi-circular curves that can test vehicles at a maximum neutral speed of 250 km per hour. The track can offer maximum speeds of 375 kmph on the curves with steering control. [5] A lot of different tests, including measurement of maximum speed, acceleration, coast down, brake fade, constant speed fuel consumption, emission tests through real-road driving simulation, can be conducted at this track. It is also a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for vehicle dynamics. [6]
The Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Prakash Javadekar inaugurated the track on 29 June 2021. Dr. N. Karuppaiah is the centre head for the track. [7] [8] [9] The track is also suitable for motorsports events but is yet to be homologated by the motorsports federations FIA or FIM. [3] It is yet to get NABL accreditation to be able to issue homologation certificates to OEMs. [10]
Test tracks: High-speed track - The high-speed 11.3-km four-lane track is used to develop and homologate all kinds of vehicles. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) can conduct all kinds of tests at one place. [11]
Dynamic platform: The vehicle dynamic platform is the 300-metre steering pad and is connected to 1500-metre long-vehicle dynamic test area. [11]
Multi-friction braking track: With a mu range from 0.15 to 0.9, the Braking Track can conduct braking tests on various surfaces like basalt, ceramic, high-friction asphalt and polish concrete for homologation. [11]
NATRAX also has a gradient track, fatigue track, gravel and off-road track, handling track, comfort track, sustainability track and other facilities like noise track and wet-skid pad. [11]
Vehicle dynamics is the study of vehicle motion, e.g., how a vehicle's forward movement changes in response to driver inputs, propulsion system outputs, ambient conditions, air/surface/water conditions, etc. Vehicle dynamics is a part of engineering primarily based on classical mechanics. It may be applied for motorized vehicles, bicycles and motorcycles, aircraft, and watercraft.
Hindustan Motors is an Indian automotive manufacturer based in Kolkata. It is a part of the Birla Technical Services conglomerate. Hindustan Motors was the largest car manufacturer in India before the rise of Maruti Udyog. Hindustan Motors manufactured the Ambassador and Landmaster motorcars, both immensely popular Indian automobiles from 1957 to 2014.
The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Cars and powered by the BMW S70/2 V12 engine. The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray, who successfully convinced Ron Dennis to back the project and hired car designer Peter Stevens to design the exterior and interior of the car. On 31 March 1998, the XP5 prototype with a modified rev limiter set the Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production car, reaching 240.1 mph (386.4 km/h), surpassing the modified Jaguar XJ220's 218.3 mph (351 km/h) record from 1993.
A limited-slip differential (LSD) is a type of differential gear train that allows its two output shafts to rotate at different speeds but limits the maximum difference between the two shafts. Limited-slip differentials are often known by the generic trademark Positraction, a brand name owned by General Motors and originally used for its Chevrolet branded vehicles.
The Maruti Suzuki 800 is a city car that was manufactured by Maruti Suzuki in India from 1983 to 2014. The first generation (SS80) was based on the 1979 Suzuki Alto and had an 800 cc F8B engine, hence the moniker. Widely regarded as the most influential automobile in India, about 2.87 million 800s were produced during its course of which 2.66 million were sold in India itself.
Brake linings are the consumable surfaces in brake systems, such as drum brakes and disc brakes used in transport vehicles.
Traction, traction force or tractive force is a force used to generate motion between a body and a tangential surface, through the use of either dry friction or shear force. It has important applications in vehicles, as in tractive effort.
The automotive industry in India is the world's fourth-largest by production and valuation as per 2022 statistics. As of 2023, India is the 3rd largest automobile market in the world in terms of sales.
Chinkara Motors, officially Chinkara Motors PVT Ltd, was a Mumbai, Maharashtra-based automotive manufacturer. Chinkara operated from 2003 to 2016. The company was headquartered in Alibaugh, Maharashtra.
Exide Industries Limited (Exide) is an Indian multinational storage battery manufacturing company, headquartered in Kolkata, India. It is the largest manufacturer of lead-acid storage batteries and power storage solutions provider in India.
In motorsport, homologation is a testing and certification process for vehicles, circuits, and related equipment for conformance to technical standards, usually known as type approval in English-language jurisdictions. It confirms conformity to standards or categorisation criteria typically set by the sporting authority. At international and supra-national level, the FIA and FIM mandate what must be homologated, the FIA in its International Sporting Code and appendices. National sporting authorities such as Motorsport UK must adhere to these rules but may enforce additional or specific homologation rules applicable to their series or jurisdiction, however, unaffiliated series may set their own requirements.
Reusable Launch Vehicle–Technology Demonstration Programme is a series of technology demonstration missions that has been conceived by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) reusable launch vehicle, in which the second stage is a spaceplane.
In Indian Railways, A MEMU is an electric multiple unit (EMU) train that serves short and medium-distance routes in India, as compared to normal EMU trains that connect urban and suburban areas. The acronym stands for Mainline Electric Multiple Unit.
National Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRiP), the largest and one of the most significant initiatives in automotive sector so far, represents a unique joining of hands between the Government of India, a number of state governments and Indian Automotive Industry to create a state of the art Testing, Validation and R&D infrastructure in the country.
The McLaren P1 is a flagship sports car produced by British marque McLaren Automotive. Styled by American car designer Frank Stephenson, it is the second installment in McLaren's Ultimate Series after the McLaren F1. Considered to be the spiritual successor to the F1, the P1 was one of the first high performance sports cars to be introduced incorporating hybrid technology; the Porsche 918 Spyder having begun taking orders prior to the P1 and the LaFerrari introduced alongside it. First shown as a concept on the 20th anniversary of the F1 at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the P1 made its debut at the 2013 Geneva International Motor Show.
The McLaren 650S is a British sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Automotive. It was announced in February 2014 as a new model, but based on the existing MP4-12C with 25% new parts, and was formally unveiled at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.
The Indian Government is undertaking several initiatives to upgrade its aging railway infrastructure and enhance its quality of service. The Railway Ministry has announced plans to invest ₹5,400,000 crore to upgrade the railways by 2030. Upgrades include 100% electrification of railways, upgrading existing lines with more facilities and higher speeds, expansion of new lines, upgrading railway stations, introducing and eventually developing a large high-speed train network interconnecting major cities in different parts of India and development of various dedicated freight corridors to cut down cargo costs within the country.
Varroc is an Indian multinational automotive component manufacturer and supplier of exterior lighting systems, powertrains, electrical and electronics, body and chassis parts to passenger car and motorcycle segments. The company was founded by Tarang Jain in 1990 and is currently headquartered at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, with 35 manufacturing facilities and 11 engineering centres in 10 countries across three continents.
The Rimac Nevera is an all-electric sports car designed and manufactured by the Croatian automotive manufacturer Rimac Automobili. The first production prototype car was released in August 2021. Nevera production has been limited to 150 vehicles. Having completed crash testing for homologation, Rimac planned to deliver the Nevera to customers in mid-2022. The first production spec Nevera was delivered in August 2022. Deliveries to the United States started in June 2023. The Nevera is manufactured in the same factory and at the same rate as the Pininfarina Battista, which is based on the same platform.
The Piaggio 1 is an electric motorcycle produced by the Italian manufacturer Piaggio.