TÜV SÜD and ADAC establish one-stop shop for international vehicle approval in Southern Germany

“We are very happy about this new cooperation. Working with ADAC, we can now supply our customers with all the tests they need for the type approval and market launch of their systems – from brakes to autonomous driving functions and from the EU market to the USA and other countries like China”, says Christian Gnandt, Vice President and Global Head of Global Homologation Services TÜV SÜD, in a nod to the TIC company’s corporate strategy of working with partners to establish test clusters throughout the EU that can support its customers.

Andreas Rigling, Head of the ADAC Mobility Test Centre in Penzing, underlines the benefits of the partnership for car buyers: “Type approval and consumer protection complement each other perfectly. While type approvals verify that vehicles and systems are in compliance with certain minimum  requirements, consumer protection demands security and safety that go beyond these minimum requirements.”

Direct

In the face of rapidly advancing vehicle technology and constantly changing international regulations, there are advantages in having a single point of contact right from the development phase of a new vehicle generation. Working with the experts at the new TÜV SÜD Cluster, customers can address potential obstacles in global vehicle approval at an early stage. This cuts down on development times and speeds up time-to-market and approval processes.

Compact

The tests required for the type approval are carried out directly at the test grounds – an efficient singlesource process thanks to the pooled know-how and resources of ADAC and TÜV SÜD. As the amount and complexity of software-defined vehicles rapidly rise, there is an increasingly urgent need for a barrier-free, safe and secure interface between industry on the one hand and the approval authorities on the other. Smooth processes can only be guaranteed if not only homologation, but also the entire life cycle of a vehicle are addressed right from the early development stage of a vehicle model. Andreas Schäffler, Head of Global Homologation Services Deutschland at TÜV SÜD, says, “By pooling our resources at a single site and bringing together ADAC and TÜV SÜD as a smoothly running team, we can offer cost efficiency, time savings and improved safety and security. The expansion of the TÜV SÜD Cluster Southern Germany to include the partnership with ADAC therefore offers an excellent environment for all vehicle developers, mobility providers, technology manufacturers and suppliers right from the outset." And Dr Reinhard Kolke, Director ADAC Test and Technology Services and responsible for Site Development in Penzing, points out, “The cooperation is an important cornerstone of Penzing’s future development as a centre of innovation for mobility, people and the region.”

Local

All TÜV SÜD’s test clusters aim to supply automotive manufacturers, suppliers, technology manufacturers and mobility providers with a local solution – to be found wherever the vehicles to be tested are located. This is why TÜV SÜD always offers location-independent testing right on its customers’ doorstep, supported by an extensive network of international partners. “And if the nearest cluster does prove to be farther away, we take our mobile test units right to the doorstep of the manufacturer’s proving grounds”, says Christian Gnandt.