GARC Secures ₹221 Crore Funding Upgrade for EV and Crash Testing Facilities
The Global Automotive Research Centre in Chennai has begun installing advanced testing equipment after securing a ₹221.13 crore financial allocation under the federal government PM E-DRIVE scheme. According to ET Auto, the Ministry of Heavy Industries announced the funding milestone, which aims to alleviate domestic bottlenecks in electric vehicle and electronic component certification.
According to ET Auto, eV manufacturers historically faced 6 to 9 month testing backlogs at domestic agencies due to overlapping battery safety amendments and Bharat NCAP crash certification demands concentrated at ARAI and ICAT. According to Press Information Bureau, the National Automotive Board governs NATRiP facilities including GARC, NATRAX, and ICAT under the Ministry of Heavy Industries, managing scheme capital allocations and technical modernization.
The facility, operating under the National Automotive Board as an authorized testing agency pursuant to Rule 126 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, has already issued purchase orders for nearly all proposed machinery. The capital infusion forms part of a broader ₹780 crore federal envelope earmarked specifically for upgrading national automotive testing institutions under the wider ₹10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE programme, which remains operational through March 2028.
According to Press Information Bureau, gARC's upgraded facilities decentralize crash testing, clearing Bharat NCAP testing backlogs and allowing southern automotive OEMs to conduct local homologation without transporting prototypes to Pune or Manesar. According to Press Information Bureau, rule 126 of CMVR authorizes eight national testing agencies: ARAI, ICAT, GARC, NATRAX, VRDE, CIRT, CFMTTI, and IIP to conduct prototype homologation and safety certification.
Expanding EV and Battery Compliance Standards
The infrastructure overhaul directly targets compliance requirements for electrification and advanced electronic architectures. GARC is establishing dedicated testing suites compliant with AIS-156, the governing Indian standard detailing safety and performance thresholds for electric vehicle batteries. Furthermore, the installation encompasses specialized electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility testing under AIS-004 Part 3 Rev.1 standards, ensuring integrated electronic components operate without mutual interference or external disruption.
Additional facility enhancements include a modernized heavy commercial vehicle testing ground, a upgraded powertrain laboratory, and advanced passive safety testing equipment featuring sophisticated crash-test dummies alongside calibration systems. The institution is also expanding capabilities to evaluate advanced driver assistance systems through specialized instruments and soft targets, addressing features like automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
According to Press Information Bureau, commercial vehicle testing demand has escalated under AIS-052 bus rollover codes, AIS-029 truck cab crashworthiness, BS6 Phase 2 RDE, and ESC mandates, requiring specialized heavy-vehicle testing rigs. According to Press Information Bureau, expanding local testing facilities at GARC cuts automotive homologation cycles from 6–9 months to 2–3 months for southern vehicle manufacturers, eliminating interstate transport costs and commercial risks.
High-Speed Imaging for Crash Safety Analysis
A centerpiece of the modernization effort is the deployment of a high-speed, high-resolution imaging system capable of capturing impact dynamics at millisecond precision. The newly procured UHD-4K cameras operate at up to 750 frames per second, while Full HD recording reaches up to 3,000 frames per second.
These optical systems are designed for frontal, side, and rear crash test evaluations, capturing rapid physical phenomena including structural vehicle deformation, occupant kinematics, and precise airbag deployment sequences. Such fine-grained data collection is mandatory for formal homologation and safety certification before commercial market introduction.
Overcoming Domestic Testing Bottlenecks
India's automotive testing ecosystem has faced severe operational pressure amid the rapid transition toward electric powertrains and dense electronic integration. Because EV evaluation protocols differ fundamentally from internal combustion engines regarding thermal management and battery safety, domestic testing capacity has lagged behind production acceleration.
Manufacturers previously faced constraints that occasionally required utilizing foreign facilities for specialized certifications. Ministry officials noted that the Oragadam facility upgrades will strengthen indigenous testing sovereignty, enabling comprehensive domestic evaluation for next-generation commercial and passenger vehicles as the domestic automotive sector scales manufacturing output.