Iveco Bus has inaugurated a new prototype and testing centre at its Vysoké Mýto facility in the Czech Republic. The site has been designed to accommodate all types of powertrains, including battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The two-storey facility now offers double the previous workspace, spanning 4,100 square metres, and can handle prototypes up to 18 metres in length, according to the company. It includes twelve dedicated workstations, each equipped with overhead platforms to enable ergonomic access to the vehicle roofs—where battery packs and hydrogen tanks are typically located in buses.
The new testing centre also features a thermal chamber, where vehicle air conditioning systems can be tested in conditions of up to 50 degrees Celsius. With its installed test benches, Iveco Bus says it can conduct a wide range of procedures, including internal and external noise measurements, vibration testing, driving behaviour analyses, and energy consumption assessments.
The prototype and testing facility was built in 18 months and currently employs over 50 people, including 20 engineers. Iveco adds that staff will receive comprehensive training in alternative drivetrains and new energy technologies.
In the future, employees at the Czech site will collaborate closely with other Iveco Bus R&D centres—particularly for validation tests not carried out at Vysoké Mýto. For example, testing of heating systems and electronic components is undertaken at the Vénissieux site in France, while the centre in Turin focuses on durability assessments. This distributed approach is intended to support the development of new bus models.
“This new Prototype & Testing Center in Vysoké Mýto is of strategic importance for the development of future vehicle models equipped with the latest technologies, regardless of the propulsion energy,” said David Kříž, Managing Director of Iveco Czech Republic.
The testing centre is located at one of Iveco Bus’s major production sites. The Vysoké Mýto plant builds the Crossway and Evadys model ranges, most of which are destined for export markets.
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