BEIJING -- China Automotive Technology and Research Center Co., Ltd. (CATARC) has started construction of an ice-snow test base for intelligent connected new energy vehicles (ICNEVs), the world's largest of its kind, in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The facility, scheduled to open in 2028, will also be the world's first such base capable of indoor snow-making for testing under simulated snowfall conditions, Science and Technology Daily reported on Sunday.

ICNEVs are vehicles that integrate new energy technologies with advanced connectivity, autonomous driving, and smart systems, transforming traditional cars into mobile intelligent terminals.

The new test base represents a leap in China's cold-weather NEV testing capabilities.

Spanning approximately 1,000 mu (about 67 hectares), the test base will feature core functional zones covering calibration of NEV three-electric systems, namely battery, motor, electronic control, chassis systems, simulated snowfall testing for intelligent connected vehicles, and flying car evaluations.

"The project directly addresses the industry bottleneck in extreme cold-weather validation," said Li Wei, vice-president of CATARC.

"Once completed, it will break testing cycle constraints, improve industry standards, overcome low-temperature core technologies, and create a world-class validation platform. This will enhance China's comprehensive strength and international voice in extreme-environment automotive testing."

Wen Jinlei, vice-mayor of Hulunbuir, the city hosting the test base, noted that the test base will promote the deep integration of regional ice-snow economy and automotive technology innovation, accelerating the exploration of an "ice-snow + technology" model.

The construction comes as China's NEV industry continues rapid expansion. According to the latest official data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's NEV production and sales reached 16.626 million and 16.49 million units in 2025, up 29 percent and 28.2 percent year-on-year, respectively.

However, cold-weather performance remains a critical challenge for NEVs. The new test base will enable precise control of snowfall volume, ice friction coefficients, and other environmental factors, overcoming current limitations imposed by uncontrollable real-world conditions and providing a scientific, stable vehicle validation standard and data system, according to the report.