Crews Braving Frosty -30 Degree Nights for On-Duty Training Sessions at Midnight
In the heart of Hokkaido, Japan, the Shibetsu Proving Ground stands as a testament to Toyota's commitment to creating world-class vehicles. But what happens behind the scenes, especially during the harsh winter months, is a story worth telling.
NIPPO Corporation, the general contractor that built the 10km First Circuit at the proving ground, plays a crucial role in its winter maintenance. Utilizing their expertise in road construction and asphalt surfacing, they transform the circuit into a snow-covered testing ground.
One of the unique features of the Shibetsu Proving Ground is the replication of snow-covered city streets with rutted roads, created by a machine known as a grader. Special attachments for digging ruts are used on these graders, which aren't found anywhere else and are custom-made by NIPPO's team.
Tetsuo Sawada, the Group Leader of the Shibetsu Vehicle Testing Section, oversees course maintenance. Sawada prepares the course from the perspective of the test drivers and development team, ensuring consistent conditions such as a constant friction factor.
The night crew, led by Kawamura, is responsible for ensuring the courses are ready for handover by 7 a.m., with a one-hour break starting at 11 p.m. Properly compacted snow at the Shibetsu Proving Ground is packed to a depth of 12 centimeters. One section of the area can be cleared off in case of sudden rain or warmer weather, allowing for a depth of 4-5 centimeters.
However, course maintenance in snowy Shibetsu is described as a race against time. The night crew's work might be delayed due to heavy snowfalls, in which case they consult with the course managers to determine priorities.
But course maintenance involves more than just snow removal and preparing test roads. Inspecting and repairing road surfaces for safety and test accuracy, ensuring the functionality and safety of any testing equipment and sensors on the course, monitoring environmental conditions relevant to test scenarios, conducting routine facility checks and timely upkeep of supporting infrastructure such as barriers, signage, and lighting for night testing, and possibly managing logistics and coordination for night test operations to ensure smooth schedules are all vital tasks that support ongoing vehicle testing.
The next maintenance task shown at the Shibetsu Proving Ground has nothing to do with driving cars. It's the meticulous care taken to maintain the proving ground's facilities, ensuring they are ready for the next round of testing. This unseen aspect of the proving ground's operations is just as crucial as the driving tests themselves.
From the skilled operators and attachments based on decades of experience to the tireless efforts of the night crew, the Shibetsu Proving Ground stands as a testament to the dedication and expertise that goes into creating the vehicles of tomorrow.
- In the realm of facility maintenance, the dedicated night crew under the leadership of Kawamura ensures the integration of technology, working tirelessly to ensure the correct functioning and safety of any testing equipment and sensors on the course, a task that is crucial for the automotive industry and finance, as accurate data is key for the development of world-class vehicles.
- Beyond just snow removal and preparing test roads, the Shibetsu Proving Ground also maintains its infrastructure, harnessing the power of industry and technology to timely upkeep supporting structures like barriers, signage, and lighting for night testing, a testament to the importance of transportation infrastructure and the group's commitment to delivering safe and efficient testing environments.
