Tech Briefs
Honda's indoor crash test facility

Honda's new facility at its Tochigi automobile R&D Center enables vehicle-to-vehicle crash tests to be conducted indoors, regardless of weather. Two vehicles may be accelerated up to 80 km/h (50 mph) to crash against each other at angles ranging from 15 to 180°. Layout of the Honda indoor crash test building

Honda has completed what it calls the world's first all-weather, all-directional crash test facility at its Tochigi Research and Development Center. The building occupies a floor space of 41,000 m² (441,320 ft²), measures 272 x 178 m (892 x 584 ft), and has a ceiling height of 15 m (49 ft). It has eight radial tracks, any of which may be combined to stage vehicle-to-vehicle crashes, from a 15° swipe to a 180° head-on encounter. Each track is 130 m (427 ft) long, and two may be combined to create a length of 260 m (853 ft). Sleds may be accelerated up to a maximum velocity of 80 km/h (50 mph).

Jack Yamaguchi