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A proving ground (US) is an installation or reservation in which technology such as weapons, military tactics and automobile prototypes are experimented with or tested. Proving grounds can be operated by government bodies or civilian industries. They are distinct from military training areas which are run by the military and intended for the routine training and exercising of troops across the terrain.
In Russia, a designated area is usually called a "polygon" (Полигон).
In the United States, there are several military facilities that have been explicitly designated as proving grounds.
Automotive proving grounds [7] or automotive test tracks serve the automotive industry for road vehicle testing. In the automotive development process, vehicle manufacturers typically test the behaviour of vehicles in various environments and traffic situations. Conventional vehicle testing usually focuses on the dynamic properties of vehicles. Test tracks generally encompass the engineering tasks of vehicle testing and validation.
With the advent of self-driving cars, new proving grounds specially dedicated for them have appeared, and existing conventional proving grounds have been retooled for the testing of highly automated or fully autonomous vehicles.[ citation needed ]
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Bridgestone Corporation is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (1889–1976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi (石橋), meaning 'stone bridge' in Japanese. It primarily manufactures tires, as well as golf equipment.
ZF Friedrichshafen AG, also known as ZF Group, originally Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, and commonly abbreviated to ZF, is a global technology company that supplies systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles and industrial technology. It is headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in the south-west German state of Baden-Württemberg. Specializing in engineering, it is primarily known for its design, research and development, and manufacturing activities in the automotive industry and is one of the largest automotive suppliers in the world. Its products include driveline and chassis technology for cars and commercial vehicles, along with specialist plant equipment such as construction equipment. It is also involved in the rail, marine, defense and aviation industries, as well as general industrial applications. ZF has 162 production locations in 31 countries with approximately 168,700 (2023) employees.
Bendix Woods County Park is a park in Olive Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana, south of New Carlisle. The park is under the control of the St. Joseph County Parks and Recreation Department.
Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) is a United States Army series of environmentally specific test centers with its Yuma Test Center (YTC) being one of the largest military installations in the world. It is subordinate to the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command.
Mazda uses a number of different Proving Grounds to test their vehicles.
Nokian Tyres plc, headquartered in Nokia, Finland, produces tyres for cars, trucks, buses, and heavy-duty equipment. Known for its winter tyres, Nokian is the only tyre manufacturer in the world with its own permanent winter tyre testing facility. The company's Hakkapeliitta brand name is recognised in Finland as a trademark.
Ford Motor Company operates several proving grounds worldwide, for development and validation testing of new vehicles.
The Packard Proving Grounds, was a proving ground established in Shelby Charter Township, Michigan in 1927 by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Millbrook Proving Ground is an English vehicle testing centre located at Millbrook, Bedfordshire. One of the largest vehicle testing centres in Europe, it is near to the M1 and Bedford.
General Motors operates several proving grounds.
Formula One tyres play a significant role in the performance of a Formula One car. The tyres have undergone major changes throughout the history of Formula One with different manufacturers and specifications used in the sport.
New Jersey Motorsports Park is a road course "Motorsports Entertainment Complex" located in Millville, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. It has hosted races since opening in 2008 and currently hosts a schedule including MotoAmerica Pro Road Racing, 24 Hours of LeMons, American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, SCCA events, SCCA Pro Racing's F2000 Championship Series. It is not to be confused with the New Jersey Motorsports Park: Field of Dreams, an unaffiliated Motocross facility across the street.
Stellantis North America, more commonly known as Chrysler, operates proving grounds around North America for development and validation testing of new vehicles.
The ETAS Group is a German company which designs tools for the development of embedded systems for the automotive industry and other sectors of the embedded industry. ETAS is 100-percent subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH.
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.
Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) was founded in 2000 as a spinoff from Utah State University and is headquartered in Petersboro, Utah. ASI provides an OEM/vendor independent automation technology to create fully autonomous vehicles by retrofitting existing equipment.
The braking test track is a fundamental element of the vehicle industry proving grounds, designed for conducting vehicle braking system operability and efficiency tests under various braking circumstances. Such types of tests are highly significant in regard to road safety. Testing is an indispensable step prior to manufacturing newly developed braking systems and enabling their utilization under real traffic circumstances. The effects of all factors other than human factors influencing the process of braking can be thoroughly tested in a testing environment designed to this end, i.e. on a braking test track.
The handling course is a section of vehicle industry proving grounds which provides the possibility to examine vehicle behaviour, vehicle manoeuvrability, and technical settings under controlled no-traffic circumstances. This track, which typically forms a loop, is often compared to smaller racecourses; it is, however strictly designed for testing. The layout of its environment imitates motorway circumstances.
VinFast Auto Ltd. is a Vietnam-based multinational automotive company founded by Vingroup, one of the largest private conglomerates in Vietnam that was founded by Pham Nhat Vuong.
The American Center for Mobility (ACM) is a 500-acre (200 ha) vehicular automation research center and federally designated automated vehicle proving ground located in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.