Bad-weather tests to become compulsory

From mid-2027, the Chinese New Car Assessment Programme (C-NCAP) will, for the first time, assess automatic emergency braking systems under conditions of artificially generated rain, fog and darkness. With a state-of-the-art indoor test facility and more than ten years’ research experience, the CARISSMA Institute of Safety in Future Mobility (C-ISAFE) at the Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (THI) is helping manufacturers and suppliers to prepare their systems for the new test requirements at an early stage.

Rain, fog and darkness at the touch of a button: THI's C-ISAFE creates reproducible test conditions to prepare advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for future C-NCAP requirements (Photo: THI).

The assessment of active vehicle safety under the Chinese New Car Assessment Programme (C-NCAP) is set to become significantly more rigorous. The regulations, which will come into force from mid-2027, provide for standardised examinations of automatic emergency braking systems under adverse weather conditions for the first time. To ensure the examinations can be carried out consistently, indoor facilities equipped with rain and fog simulators are being used.

With its modern testing infrastructure and scientific expertise, the CARISSMA Institute of Safety in Future Mobility (C-ISAFE) at THI offers the ideal conditions for preparing vehicle manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, and sensor manufacturers for these requirements at an early stage. In addition to an indoor test environment with rain and fog systems, the institute possesses extensive expertise in the development of robust sensor-based environmental detection.

“With the new C-NCAP regulations, the performance of driver assistance systems is being assessed for the first time under conditions that are particularly challenging in real-world traffic. Sensors and algorithms must operate reliably even in rain, fog, or darkness. This is precisely why we create reproducible test conditions,” says Professor Thomas Brandmeier, Head of C-ISAFE.

The new C-NCAP protocols define strict criteria for pedestrian protection and automatic accident avoidance in adverse visibility conditions. Among other things, the tests assess rear-end collisions with stationary vehicles in artificially generated rain with 40 millimetres of rainfall per hour, as well as in fog with visibility of less than 50 metres. In addition, there are pedestrian protection scenarios in which collisions must be avoided in wet conditions and in complete darkness.

These conditions can be created in a targeted and reproducible manner in C-ISAFE’s 100-metre-long test hall. The installed rain and fog systems enable precipitation rates of between 18 and 100 millimetres per hour, as well as visibility of up to ten metres. Autonomous vehicles, target movers, and an indoor positioning system also allow complex driving scenarios to be simulated realistically. This enables driver assistance and safety systems to be specifically tailored to the forthcoming test procedures.

In addition to the test infrastructure, the C-ISAFE research team contributes its many years of expertise in robust environmental perception. Weather-related disturbances pose major challenges for sensors and algorithms. The institute therefore supports industry partners in the development and validation of high-performance sensor technology, algorithms, and AI models for reliable object and pedestrian detection.

C-ISAFE recently contributed its scientific expertise to the “WeatherSafe” industry consortium as well. There, the institute played a key role in drawing up guidelines for future weather-related tests, which are intended to provide impetus for forthcoming NCAP examinations in Europe.

Contact: Professor Thomas Brandmeier ().

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