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TRC California Brings World-Class Testing and Research Capabilities to the West Coast’s AutoTech Innovators

Expansion comes as TRC Inc. assumes management of California Auto Tech Complex.

ATWATER, CALIFORNIA – Transportation Research Center Inc., North America’s foremost automotive testing organization and an acknowledged leader in advanced driving systems research, has assumed day-to-day management of the former California AutoTech Development Center in Merced County, which has been renamed TRC California.

Under a long-term agreement to operate and expand facilities at the 225-acre automotive technology testing and research complex, TRC California is being expanded to offer a comprehensive, one-stop shop for automotive technology and mobility innovators to affirm the performance, safety, quality and competitiveness of new technologies that are changing the face of transportation worldwide. As a first step in this expansion, TRC Inc. has appointed a full-time proving grounds director to assist clients with their engineering and technical needs.

“Our plans to expand TRC California’s existing capabilities, particularly those focused on advanced mobility research and testing, creates a West Coast complement to the industry-recognized expertise and services we’ve developed at TRC Ohio over nearly 50 years and brings that expertise strategically close to the technology and research hubs of Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay area,” said Brett Roubinek, president and CEO of Transportation Research Center Inc.

TRC California, which is currently accepting reservations for testing at its 225-acre facility, is located in Atwater, California. Just a two-hour drive from Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay Region and other West Coast technology centers, TRC California provides mobility innovators with convenient access to the first-rate testing facilities and expertise they need to validate advanced systems and technologies.

TRC California will offer a 2.2-mile oval track, city course and two multipurpose vehicle dynamics test areas that can replicate a wide variety of real-world highway, rural and urban scenarios. The facility can accommodate all types of mobility systems, including conventional and automated cars, trucks, and buses. Traffic signals, V2X, Wi-Fi, roadside furniture and test targets are available to support client’s testing needs. TRC will continue to expand capabilities at the complex to give clients access to state-of-the-art testing technologies, especially those geared toward research on autonomous and connected vehicles. Enhancements in the near future will include additional roadway complexes to present a range of real-world driving patterns, road surfaces, intersections and access ramps – all designed for testing new autonomous and connected mobility systems, including advanced driver-assistance systems, in a safe, secure and repeatable real-world environment.

All services at TRC California, including testing infrastructure and a broad range of TRC technical support, can be fully customized to meet the client’s specific needs and testing scenarios. Offerings such as free-flowing speeds, stop-and-go traffic, construction zones, disabled vehicles, and pedestrian targets are available. Clients can conduct testing with their own personnel or call on the skills of experienced TRC engineers, mechanics and test drivers as needed. As at TRC Ohio, all services are provided with the strictest respect for each client’s security, confidentially and proprietary interests.

Since 1974, Transportation Research Center Inc. – a fully independent, 501c3 nonprofit organization – has been an acknowledged leader in transportation research and innovation, providing a full range of engineering and automotive research expertise to the world’s leading OEMs, suppliers and mobility innovators. The 4,500-acre TRC Ohio campus has attracted more than 800 clients over more than four decades by offering North America’s most advanced automotive testing facilities and providing grounds, along with a comprehensive array of research and evaluation services. TRC engineers, test drivers and other technical specialists will be available for TRC California clients and are skilled at testing for safety, energy efficiency, fuel economy, emissions, durability, performance, noise, crash simulation and crashworthiness. Programs evaluate performance of passenger cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, airplanes, off-road, tracked, alternative-fueled vehicles and their components.

For more information about TRC Inc. and the new TRC California testing and research center, contact: california@trcpg.com.

Contact: Avery Kelly
(937) 234-3291