[tilt]

Originally Posted by GTO

*SNIP*

The temp numbers are unique to the owner, hence it could be that the authorities pull them up too for speeding by sending challans against that number. But to the manufacturer, a 1000-rupee speeding fine is a small price to pay for high speed testing of their brand new car and its suspension + engine etc. *SNIP*

Well, that takes care of the car/manufacturer; but what about the driver? Challans are issued not just to the car but also to the licence of the driver. So, the driver in question would also have to suffer consequences like points on the licence and any possible repercussions consequently.

Cheers

[Fiestaboy]

Some insights into the queries with no specific order of significance.

1. Test mules bear temporary registered - Red plates. (when we want to register those cars, it needs to be in Govt register with vehicle name & homologation done completely. Hence they are run in temp registered trade plates). Hence comprehensive insurance can't be provided & third party insurance will suffice.
As far as 3rd party insurance, there are 2 ways. either the OE manages the fleet & take the insurance with their agent or the entire fleet is managed by a contractor who will run end to end business for the OE (toll, fuel bill, challans, temp registration plates, salary of driers etc..)

2. If a test mule deals with an accident, the contract agency will go through normal process of an accident. (For this matter, the drivers will be thoroughly screened for their skills & behaviors during on boarding).

3. Challans & traffic violations - these are directly linked to red plates or driving licenses. Hence taken care by fleet management or contract agency.

4. Vandalism - Drivers are given instructions to stop at designated areas, Dashcam are installed in all vehicles (mostly) with GPS tracking & additional camo tapes will be provided in the car along with car covers if the vehicles are taken for overnight drive.

5. Test mules will not be driven for publicity. (what I believe from my experience in this industry). They are run to take real world driving data - like city FE, Highway FE, brake pad wear etc.. Also things like maps, radio reception, wipers, Powertrain NVH, seat comfort & HVAC efficiency in real world driving will be tracked in the fleet run.

6. Late changes in vehicles during Engineering build/design will force team to re run certain tests with new parts & hence weekend drive is needed to compensate the overall timing plan delay. No OE will run vehicle in a weekend for publicity.

7. As SaiKarthik mentioned, earlier enough attention or importance was not given to trade plates, but now Govt had given strict protocols to be followed & I see most of the OE's in TN follow that.

8. Its not easy to peel the camo as we think. It's tough & will take time to peel off, if properly applied. At least 5-10min is needed for a common man to take camo from a fender. In my experience I never saw a public tearing a came to take picture.

9. Yes, we will be questioned/Question - if people take photo. Normally good amount of training is given with clear Do's & Dont's of public drive in a test mule. We had times where we went cross country drive & public took photo & it will come in newspaper or online forums & we will answer the management with clear facts & data during the end of that day's drive. (This is done only when they sneak into interiors or take photos in night by removing car covers. A general photo while the car is in running will not be questioned as anyone can take that).

10. The fleet drivers are normal drivers with some good driving skills selected by agency for fleet management group. They will be given training about the features, what to see or check & what to ignore etc.
Things like BLIS, AEB etc will be properly guided through them as most of them would not have good education background to understand the features.

11. In today's world most data are checked against objective targets & Engineers themselves tests the cars extensively in test tracks. These test mules will most probably driven in highways or public road for durability to do high mileage checks & issues arising from durability.

Note: Few of the questions surprised me. (like publicity drive for test mules) but I can correlate now/ see new dimension of how public thinks of an OE tests.

[PaddleShifter]

A trivial addition from my side regarding the plates used for test drive cars.

There are three types of registration plates:
1. Trade certificate (TC) plate
2. Temporary registeration (TR or Temp) plate
3. Permanent registration plate

Often, temp and TC plate names are used interchangeably during discussions but they are entirety different.

Plate 2 and 3 can only be issued to a car that has been sold and now has been registered in the RTO either as a temporary registration or permanent registration.

A temp plate can be used only on that particular car and it is linked to the VIN, engine number etc. of that car.

A TC or trade certificate plate is registered to a manufacturer/dealer/business rather than a car as far as I know. It can be used on different cars as well by removing the plate and sticking it to another. If the system (police or administration) trace the vehicle based on TC plate, they will be tracing that manufacturer/dealership, right?

Posting a link for further reading:

https://parivahan.gov.in/parivahan//...de-certificate

[JitendraK78]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

The Test Mules thread

Attachment 2182192

I find test mules to be very interesting. Everytime I see one lots of thoughts and questions pop up in my mind. Being confidential pieces of equipment for OEMs I don. Tried to search the forum but couldn't find a similar thread, so decided to make one. So feel free to put forward all the queries here and hope to have a great discussion around this topic! So to start off, here are my questions. Hope the experts can answer them.


1. How is the Insurance dealt with in these vehicles? Do OEMs have to take a seperate car insurance like for other cars or is it a different policy?

2. What happens if say, one gets in an accident with a test mule? How is that dealt with generally?

3. What about the challans and traffic violations? Since they don't use the conventional number plates and aren't listed on the VAHAN portal, how are traffic violations and fines issued or are they entirely exempted from such stuff?

4. How do the drivers deal with vandalism or people trying to pull off the camouflage and tamper with the vehicle in crowded areas where such cars stand out?

Thanks All!

I have been working in Validation and homologation since many years now. I will answer the questions based on my first hand experience of using / driving test vehicles:

1) For these test vehicles, the vehicle itself does not have any insurance for itself. The insurance policy is taken for the Trade Certificate that the vehicle is running on. The insurance policy is comprehensive, covering vehicle damage and also third party damages. The IDV in this case depends on the vehicle that will be driven using the TC. Since mostly these vehicles are prototypes, the IDV of a hatchback for example could be in the range of 30-50 Lakh.

2) Vehicle manufacturer takes care of the consequences of any accident.

3) These vehicles can not be challaned like normal vehicles. The only way to challan is to stop the vehicle and ask the driver to pay.

4) Vehicle manufacturer do not allow these vehicles to stop near crowded places, in order to avoid mishandling of the vehicle by people. The drivers are also instructed about strict adherence to the protocols. Generally the drivers avoid stopping in crowded places.

[JitendraK78]

Originally Posted by sukiwa

I have to add another query.

Toll payments: How are toll payments handled with Fastag being mandatory now?

Nowadays, we can get Fastags for TC plates also by uploading or submitting relevant documents

Originally Posted by saikarthik

...

Yes, but I do have this query too as in some cases the TC places are interchanged, VIN can remain same. But not sure, Does anyone have idea on this?

The Fastags are linked to the registration number. Since TC number is not linked to a particular VIN, the vehicle bearing the TC can use the Fastag that has been procured for that particular TC number. As per CMV Rules, TC number needs to be used for one vehicle at any point of time, but there is no restriction on using it for any brand and any model of vehicle, provided the vehicle belongs to the same category that of the TC (Example: LMV / LCV / 2W / 3W etc).

The TC numbers are taken from the RTO in whose jurisdiction the vehicle manufacturer's office / factory is located. The TC are valid through out India.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Talking of test mules, I have a slightly off-topic query. Are the test drivers just "drivers" who record and report the performance feedback to the engineering department or are they qualified enough to draw their own inference? Anyone with insight?

I can provide an insight into a 2 wheeler test rider's life.

My maternal uncle started off as a test rider for TVS' mopeds in the 1980s. He had finished his diploma in mechanical and was in dire financial straits. From starting as a test rider, he recently retired as a bigwig in TVS R&D after 35 years of service. His career was spent as an engineer in TVS Racing and in R&D. Even though he started out as a menial foot soldier with a diploma, he proved himself as a capable engineer by learning on the job, enough to rub shoulders with IIT grads in the factory.

He was a test rider in his initial years only; he would have a trip log to record his observations in, concerning vibrations, RPMs, fuel efficiency etc. Covering as many as 400 to 700 Km in a day was normal.

As a little boy, I remember him riding home for tea with us in Pondicherry on an under-development TVS Shogun, Samurai, Supra...and once in a TVS Spectra scooter (anyone remembers that one?). He would have tea, play with us, put on his riding paraphernalia and get back to the Hosur TVS plant the same day. He remains my very own superman.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I can provide an insight into a 2 wheeler test rider's life.
My maternal uncle started off as a test rider for TVS' mopeds in the 1980s. He had finished his diploma in mechanical and was in dire financial straits. From starting as a test rider, he recently retired as a bigwig in TVS R&D after 35 years of service. His career was spent as an engineer in TVS Racing and in R&D.....
.....He would have tea, play with us, put on his riding paraphernalia and get back to the Hosur TVS plant the same day. He remains my very own superman.

A very valuable insight indeed. Congratulations to your uncle on his remarkable career. I am of the opinion that Diploma holders tend to have relatively better working/practical knowledge compared to grads to begin with. I can envisage your childhood days interactions with your uncle .

[professor.march]

Mahindra vehicles are often seen around Chennai. I've most commonly seen them on Thiruporur-Chengalpattu, Chengalpattu-Kanchipuram, and Chengalpattu to Perungalathur roads. All these are around the Mahindra world city. Seen a convoy of EcoSports once as well. Not sure if they were disguised. Maybe roads around Sriperumbudur might see more of Hyundai, Renault and Nissan.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Talking of test mules, I have a slightly off-topic query. Are the test drivers just "drivers" who record and report the performance feedback to the engineering department or are they qualified enough to draw their own inference? Anyone with insight?

It depends. Pre XUV-500, I had the chance to speak to one engineer from Mahindra, who asked me to wait for the world-class car.

One thing he was sad about is that engineers don't get to go on many test drives like in the olden days. Drivers are apparently given scenarios to test (on-road and test track) and most of the data gathering is done by specialized sensors and onboard computers.

[Abhisheknott]

Originally Posted by porsche_guy

The Test Mules thread

Attachment 2182192

4. How do the drivers deal with vandalism or people trying to pull off the camouflage and tamper with the vehicle in crowded areas where such cars stand out?

Thanks All!

These days the drivers don't really bother about the public taking photos. Back in 2005 saw a camouflaged sedan which was the New Accent at a signal in Chennai and while taking a photo the driver stepped out to stop us/shout. Thankfully my friend had mobile with a cam and we ended up getting vouchers for sending the photos to an Automag.

[Thilak29]

https://youtu.be/4nI43KP-2ds

Here is a brief video with Prototype car features explained.

[SamDiablo]

Saw a test mule today in Electronic City, Phase-1, Bangalore. Not sure which which car is this? Initially I thought it is Nexon, but not 100% sure, hence posting it here. Apologies couldn't take pictures from front or side.

@Moderators - If this is not appropriate thread, please move it to the right one. Thanks.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by SamDiablo

Saw a test mule today in Electronic City, Phase-1, Bangalore. Not sure which which car is this? Initially I thought it is Nexon, but not 100% sure, hence posting it here. Apologies couldn't take pictures from front or side.

@Moderators - If this is not appropriate thread, please move it to the right one. Thanks.

Tata Punch.

Must be testing something that has not yet been launched, hopefully a more powerful engine or AT gearbox.

Same mule spotted in testing prior to launch-

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by SamDiablo

Saw a test mule today in Electronic City, Phase-1, Bangalore. Not sure which which car is this? Initially I thought it is Nexon, but not 100% sure, hence posting it here. Apologies couldn't take pictures from front or side.

This seems to be like the Punch EV(with fake exhausts, of course ), judging from the picture.

[raghukodali]

Any idea which one is this electric car? This looks like a Mahindra. I spotted this near vellore in tamilnadu.