Short answer: Heihe in Heilongjiang province is China’s centre for cold-climate vehicle testing. The season runs roughly from December to March, temperatures regularly fall below −30 °C, and test tracks are prepared on the frozen Heilongjiang River and Daheihe Island. A successful campaign is decided months earlier: track slots, accommodation, vehicle logistics, high-voltage readiness of the team and a test plan that reflects Chinese customer use cases.
Every OEM selling in China has to prove that its vehicles start, drive, heat, charge and brake reliably in a northern Chinese winter. For combustion vehicles this has been routine for decades. For battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which now account for almost half of new-vehicle sales in China, cold-climate testing has become the decisive campaign of the year: range, charging speed, heat-pump performance and battery thermal management are judged by Chinese customers and media within weeks of a launch.
This guide summarises what engineering teams need to plan when they send prototypes to Heihe — from the calendar to the checklist we use before vehicles leave the workshop.
Why Heihe Became China’s Winter Testing Hub
Heihe lies on the Heilongjiang (Amur) River opposite the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk. The first cold-weather vehicle tests were carried out there in 1989. Today the city reports around 85% of China’s cold-climate testing market: in the 2024–25 season, 147 companies and research institutes brought more than 4,000 test vehicles and about 5,000 engineers and technicians to the region.
The reasons are practical:
- Reliable cold: long periods well below −20 °C, with extremes far lower — stable conditions for cold-soak and cold-start tests.
- Ice and snow surfaces: handling, braking and traction-control tracks are prepared on the frozen river and on Daheihe Island.
- Infrastructure: heated workshops, fuel and charging infrastructure, hotels and service providers used to test fleets.
- New facilities: an all-season low-temperature test facility and an icing wind tunnel project are being added, extending testing beyond the natural winter window.
Some programmes also use test sites around Changchun or in Inner Mongolia, often because of proximity to a joint-venture plant. For most cold-climate validation tasks, however, Heihe is the reference location in China.
The Season: When to Plan What
| When | What needs to happen |
|---|---|
| April–June (previous year) | Define test objectives and vehicle count; request track slots and workshop space; budget for accommodation and local services. |
| July–September | Freeze the vehicle build level; plan HV qualification of the on-site team; clarify import status of prototypes and parts (see our prototype import guide). |
| October–November | Build and commission vehicles; install measurement equipment and data loggers; run a pre-test in the workshop; organise transport to Heihe. |
| December–March | Main campaign: cold-soak, cold start, climate, charging, driveability, ice and snow handling, durability under winter conditions. |
| March–April | Return logistics, data evaluation, defect closure, input for the next software release and the summer campaign. |
The single most common planning error is booking too late. Track slots and good workshop space are allocated early, and the best hotels near the test sites are full for the whole season.
What Is Typically Tested
Cold soak and cold start
Vehicles are parked overnight or in cold chambers until all components have reached ambient temperature. The next morning the team documents start behaviour, warning messages, the first minutes of operation and fault memory entries. For combustion engines this covers starting, idle stability and emissions behaviour; for electrified vehicles it covers wake-up, high-voltage activation and the first drive-away.
Climate and comfort
Heating-up time of the cabin, defrosting and demisting of the windscreen, seat and steering-wheel heating, and noise of compressors and heat pumps. Chinese customers judge these functions very directly, and social media amplifies weaknesses quickly.
Battery, range and charging (BEV/PHEV)
Usable range at low temperatures, battery preheating strategies, DC fast-charging speed with a cold battery, behaviour at public chargers of different suppliers, and charging-port icing. We cover the NEV-specific requirements in more detail in NEV and BEV testing in China.
Driveability, chassis and ADAS
Traction and stability control on ice, ABS calibration, torque distribution, steering feel, and how cameras, radar and lidar cope with snow, ice and spray. Sensor cleaning and heating are frequent sources of findings.
Body and electrics
Door seals freezing, window regulators, mirrors, charging flaps, connectors, wiring harness behaviour in the cold, 12 V battery state of charge and quiescent current after long parking periods.
Electrified Prototypes: Safety Comes First
High-voltage prototypes are not series vehicles. Insulation monitoring, contactors and battery management software may still be under development, and repairs in a cold workshop add risk. Before the campaign:
- Every person working on HV components needs the appropriate qualification — in German OEM programmes typically EFK and, for live work, the 1000 V extension. See our EFK and AuS guide.
- The workshop needs a defined HV area, insulated tools, rescue equipment and a documented procedure for damaged battery packs.
- Since 1 July 2026, China’s new mandatory standards GB 38031-2025 (traction battery safety) and GB 18384-2025 (electric vehicle safety) apply. They raise the bar for thermal propagation (“no fire, no explosion”) and require a hardware-based high-voltage disconnection. Prototype test plans should already cover the related cases.
Logistics: The Hidden Workload
Moving a test fleet 2,000 km north is a project of its own. Plan for:
- Transport: closed car transporters for camouflaged prototypes; transport insurance that covers prototypes; loading lists with VIN and build level.
- Spare parts: a pre-packed kit of wear and failure-prone parts (sensors, connectors, fuses, wheels and tyres, wiper motors). Parts that have to be flown in from Europe during the season can take weeks.
- Measurement equipment: data loggers, temperature sensors, calibration certificates, spare batteries for equipment.
- Prototype registration: vehicles used on public roads need valid prototype plates and insurance; test-track-only vehicles need clear rules about where they may drive.
- Confidentiality: Heihe is full of competitors and photographers. Camouflage, covered parking and clear rules for photos and social media are part of the plan.
Team and Daily Operations
A typical winter team consists of test engineers, test drivers, a workshop crew and specialists who rotate in for specific functions (for example climate or battery software). Practical experience shows:
- A fixed on-site lead who stays for the whole campaign keeps continuity while specialists rotate.
- Daily defect meetings with clear ownership are more effective than weekly reports. Findings need to reach development teams in Germany and China within hours, not days.
- Language: local service providers, track operators and authorities communicate in Chinese. A bilingual team avoids misunderstandings and delays.
- Working conditions: cold-weather clothing, warm-up breaks and fixed rules for working alone on the ice are not optional.
The Pre-Departure Checklist
Before vehicles leave the workshop for Heihe, we check the following:
- Test objectives, acceptance criteria and test catalogue agreed and versioned.
- Build level and software status documented for every vehicle; release notes available on site.
- Fault memories cleared and initial state documented (diagnostic log per vehicle).
- Measurement equipment installed, calibrated and tested in a cold chamber or at night.
- HV qualification of all team members verified; HV workshop equipment on the packing list.
- Prototype plates, insurance and import documents valid for the whole campaign.
- Spare-parts kit, tyres and consumables packed and listed.
- Data transfer route defined and compliant with Chinese data rules (no raw camera data leaves China without clearance).
- Track slots, workshop, accommodation and local transport confirmed in writing.
- Escalation path and daily reporting format agreed with the development teams.
Common Mistakes
- Unstable software at the start. A campaign that begins with a software level that cannot be flashed reliably loses its first two weeks.
- Too few vehicles for too many test owners. Every function team wants “just one day” on the vehicle. Plan vehicle allocation like a timetable.
- Data without context. Logger data without ambient temperature, soak time and driver notes is hard to evaluate later.
- Ignoring the Chinese customer view. Charging at local public chargers and app-based pre-conditioning matter more to Chinese buyers than many European test catalogues assume.
How NTM Engineering Supports Winter Campaigns
Our engineers have prepared and run prototype fleets for German OEMs in China, including winter campaigns. We support test-centre operations and campaign logistics, vehicle testing and E/E integration and HV-qualified prototype build-up — on site and in German, English and Chinese. If you are planning the 2026/27 season, talk to us early.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the winter testing season in Heihe?
The main season runs from about December to March, depending on when the river ice is thick enough for test tracks. New indoor low-temperature facilities extend some tests beyond this window.
How cold does it get in Heihe?
Temperatures of −20 °C to −30 °C are common during the season, and extremes can reach well below −40 °C. This makes it suitable for cold-soak and cold-start validation.
How early should an OEM book a winter campaign in Heihe?
Ideally six to nine months before the season. Track slots, good workshop space and accommodation near the test sites are allocated early.
Can foreign engineers work on high-voltage prototypes in Heihe?
Yes, provided they hold the HV qualifications required by their OEM (for German OEMs typically EFK and the 1000 V extension) and work in a properly equipped HV area. Local team members need the same level of qualification.
Is Heihe only used for electric vehicles?
No. Combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles are all tested there. Electric vehicles have, however, made the winter campaign more important because range, charging and heating performance are highly visible to customers.
Sources
- China Daily, 26 January 2026: Heihe cold-region automobile testing — 85% of China’s cold-climate testing market, 147 companies and more than 4,000 test vehicles in the 2024–25 season: chinadaily.com.cn
- CnEVPost, 30 June 2026: GB 38031-2025 and GB 18384-2025 take effect on 1 July 2026: cnevpost.com
- China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), full-year 2025 data via CnEVPost: cnevpost.com
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