Five years of DEKRA Lausitzring
Success story for future road safety
Five years ago, on November 1, 2017, the testing and expert organization DEKRA took over the Lausitzring in the German state of Brandenburg. Since then, it has turned from a racing and testing track to a testing and racing track. Today, the site, in combination with the neighboring DEKRA Technology Center which opened in 2003, forms Europe's largest manufacturer-independent testing center for tomorrow’s automated and connected mobility. Among other things, DEKRA has invested massively in the tracks, in transmission and measurement technology since 2017. The number of employees has grown strongly.
- Automated and connected driving: Europe’s largest independent test center
- 240 qualified jobs at the DEKRA site in Brandenburg today
- Further expansion planned for the coming years
“Today, around 240 colleagues work here at the site, over 100 at the DEKRA Lausitzring. More than half of them have been newly added since 2017,” explains Uwe Burckhardt, Head of Test and Event at DEKRA Lausitzring. “We're talking about qualified jobs here, including for mechatronics technicians, and engineers. This is very important for the region in view of the structural change.” For the coming years, those responsible at the site anticipate a further significant expansion of the workforce.
Investments in recent years at the DEKRA Lausitzring have included the expansion and upgrading of the multifunctional area in the paddock, a new noise measurement track, a new functional and office building for the road test department, the acquisition of new platforms and targets for swarm tests on vehicles with automated functions, the creation of WLAN and 5G networks to control these tests, as well as the fencing of the entire site and the construction of a new supplier entrance. In addition, investments were made in the laboratories at the DEKRA Technology Center, such as the modernization and expansion of the powertrain and emission laboratory, which was also specifically equipped for testing battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The total investment to date at the DEKRA site in Klettwitz since the takeover of the Lausitzring is in the mid-double-digit million euro range – and the expansion continues. The DEKRA Board of Management has taken the decision to locate a future test center for drive batteries for electric vehicles in Klettwitz. The creation of additional interurban test tracks at the DEKRA Lausitzring is already in the planning stage together with a major vehicle manufacturer. Other measures are already just around the corner: “Preparatory work is currently underway for the construction of our city courses on the parking areas,” says Uwe Burckhardt. On the new asphalt surfaces, it will be possible in the future to produce a wide variety of inner-city scenarios with mobile infrastructure and flexible construction. “Together with the existing tracks on the DEKRA Test Oval and at the Lausitzring, this will allow us to put test vehicles through their paces in flexible inner-city, interurban and freeway scenarios.”
The importance of these tests for the road safety of the future can hardly be overestimated: “Here, with tests accompanying development for manufacturers and suppliers – just as with tests as part of homologation and type approval – we ensure that the automated driving functions that will be on the road in the future are safe.” A total of almost 20,000 individual tests have been performed in the first ten months of 2022 alone on the test tracks at DEKRA Lausitzring.
DEKRA had already announced in 2017 that the facility would continue to be used for public events after the takeover – despite the necessary secrecy surrounding the protection of prototypes, for example. Thus, motorsport events are still being held on a regular basis: The DTM has the DEKRA Lausitzring as a fixed part of the season in its calendar; the ADAC GT Masters was expanded this year to include a large “Family & Friends” festival, where visitors could also look behind the scenes. In addition, there are concerts, congresses, and customer events. A special highlight in 2022 was the triathlon world record attempt, where for the first time a woman completed the ironman distance in under eight hours, and a man in under seven hours. “For 2023, our event team has already held a number of very interesting talks with event organizers,” says Uwe Burckhardt. “We don't want to reveal too much yet, but the season program will definitely be worth watching again.”