Heihe ices hub status for cold vehicle testing

The fifth Heihe Cold Region Automobile Testing Festival got underway on Jan 17 in North China's Heilongjiang province, marking a significant expansion of China's automotive proving grounds into both the new energy vehicle and aerospace sectors.

As temperatures dropped to — 23 C on Daheihe Island, test vehicles from major manufacturers conducted high-speed maneuvers and emergency braking trials on the frozen Heilongjiang River. The event highlighted the transformation of an icy border city with Russia into a critical node for the global automotive supply chain.

Cold weather testing is crucial for manufacturers to understand how their vehicles, batteries and systems operate in extreme conditions.

The city of Heihe, where the temperature can drop as low as — 48 C, has secured 85 percent of China's national market share and 45 percent of the global market for cold-weather testing.

For the 2024-25 testing season, the city hosted 147 companies and research institutions, including Tesla, BYD, FAW and SAIC. More than 4,000 test vehicles were put through their paces by 5,000 technical personnel, and Heihe raked in 170 million yuan ($24.4 million) in direct economic income from testing fees. Revenue from related service industries — including accommodation, dining, tourism and logistics — generated about 430 million yuan.

"Testing vehicles, especially new energy vehicles, requires cold resistance as a key indicator, and it remains a technical bottleneck," said Wang Luyang, an engineer from SAIC-GM-Wuling.

"Heihe is a rare and valuable testing site, where battery endurance, starting performance and braking systems can all be evaluated under extremely low temperatures."

Since hosting the country's first automobile tests in frigid conditions in 1989, Heihe has established itself as China's primary cold-weather automobile testing base.

In the city's suburbs, Asia's first all-season low-temperature testing facility, covering 260,000 square meters, has entered the final stage of construction, with trial operations already underway.

"After completion, it will be the world's largest facility capable of offseason testing for traditional, new energy and intelligent connected vehicles, achieving truly year-round, all-weather testing," said Zhao Xinhong, general manager of Heilongjiang Red River Valley Automotive Testing Co. "Some ramps, ice and snow tracks, and road construction have already been completed, with full completion expected by June."

Meanwhile, with the development of the low-altitude economy, Heihe has expanded its vehicle testing industry from ground to air by testing drones and flying cars.

On Dec 1 last year, China's domestically made C919 commercial aircraft completed its first test flight in Heihe.

In the Wudalianchi scenic area, Asia's largest mobile outdoor icing wind tunnel project has been established, providing core equipment support for icing performance tests on civil airliners and general aviation aircraft.

Local government data shows that from 2022 to 2025, Heihe's ice and snow industry revenue has steadily increased. The cold-weather automobile testing industry has driven related industry revenue to more than 1.7 billion yuan, while the integrated development of automobile testing, cultural tourism and sports events has flourished.

Xu Lei, an expert at the China Automotive Engineering Research Institute, said Heihe's success stems from its unique climate and from sustained government efforts.

"From early natural ice lake testing to professional testing ground construction, and now the expansion into intelligent connected vehicle testing, Heihe has gradually built a three-in-one cold-region vehicle testing ecosystem encompassing technical standards, service assurance and industrial extension," he said. "Systematic planning and continuous investment by the local government have created a complete loop from natural environment to industrial ecology."

To transform natural cold resources into industrial momentum, local authorities have carried out systematic planning since 2020, establishing the world's only cold-region automobile testing festival and introducing multiple service guarantee regulations.

In 2024, the city set up a vehicle testing industry development service center to provide one-stop support ranging from project establishment and temporary license plate issuance to charging facility setup and daily life services.

"We are planning systematically — from project construction to service assurance — to build a world-class cold-region vehicle testing base," said Wang Yulong, director of the city's industry and information technology bureau.

zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn