China’s First Road‑Air Integrated Proving Ground Goes Live
The 1,416‑acre facility in Guangdong offers one‑stop testing for EVs, UAVs, and passenger‑carrying eVTOL aircraft.
Video: Love Car Corps – Brother Bing (爱车兵团-兵哥)
The Southern Proving Ground, a large‑scale comprehensive testing facility designed for intelligent connected vehicles and low‑altitude aircraft, officially entered operation on March 20.
Located in Xinfeng County, Shaoguan City, the site is recognized as China’s first testing base to combine road and airspace testing capabilities under a single authority.
Spanning 8600 mu (approximately 1,416 acres) with a total investment of nearly 3.6 billion yuan (roughly $523 million USD), the facility has been granted 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) of dedicated airspace.
Its infrastructure includes an 8,500‑meter (5.3‑mile) high‑speed oval track, a 300‑meter (984‑foot) dynamic plaza, an 1,800‑meter (1.1‑mile) dynamic performance road, a comprehensive road section featuring 34 types of pavement surfaces, hangars, vertical takeoff and landing sites, 5G‑A base stations, and all‑domain meteorological equipment.
The proving ground is the first national‑level intelligent connected vehicle quality inspection center oriented toward road‑air integration, filling a previous gap for such a facility in southern China. Video: Science and Technology Daily
The proving ground is designed to offer one‑stop testing services for electric vehicles, UAVs, and so‑called “flying cars”—a moniker that is increasingly being embraced for passenger‑carrying eVTOL aircraft.
It supports research and development across full speed ranges and diverse operational scenarios.
Concurrent with the site’s inauguration, authorities approved the establishment of the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle Quality Inspection and Testing Center (Guangdong).
The proving ground was also designated as the Guangdong Province Low‑Altitude Economy Pilot Platform (in preparation), positioning it as a comprehensive testing hub covering both automotive and aviation sectors.
A dedicated low‑altitude service platform, built by Guangdong Unicom and Yunhuan Network Link, was unveiled alongside the facility.
The platform integrates radar detection, electro‑optical tracking, 5G‑A integrated sensing and communications, and multi‑source data processing to provide real‑time airspace monitoring and risk alerts.
A closer look at the proving ground is available here —
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