Imagine having 15 different tracks at your disposal, which range from a 6,2 km high-speed oval, to high- and low-speed handling circuits, off-roading areas, gravel and dirt paths as well as cityscapes. Now imagine going there every day.
What I described above is just some of what makes up the Hallered Proving Ground, owned by Volvo Cars, just outside of Gothenburg, Sweden. For a lucky few, this is a reality and not only do they have access to this petrolhead playground but they get paid to visit and drive there daily.
A lucky man
One such person is Christer Aldeby, test driver for Volvo Cars. Aldeby, one of about 90 pilots in the employ of Volvo at this facility, was my host when I recently visited Hallered.
The total count of staff on the premises is roughly 300, including mechanics, engineers, maintenance staff and traffic control.
Allowing journos into the most secret of test areas isn’t usually allowed, but this rare occasion was made possible by Volvo on special request.
A job like any other… or not
Aldeby doesn’t look like your typical Swede: he isn’t tall, have light hair, eyes or skin and when I learn that he was born in Iran his appearance suddenly made a lot more sense.
Unlike many test drivers at other car makers who at some point had racing ambitions Aldeby was once a taxi driver, then a limo chauffeur before eventually making the step up to test drive at Volvo Cars.
He’s fulfilled this role for a decade and from conversations with him during my time at Hallered he has no intention of leaving anytime soon.
More than you think
Most people think that being a test driver is simply about driving flat out all the time though this isn’t really the case.
At Hallered driving teams work through the night to be able to fulfil the stringent requirements of tests. Over the course of the year each driver at Hallered covers about 100 000 km and that’s just at the proving ground!
Aldeby does however state that one of the engine test procedures is to run a car flat out in top gear around the facility’s high-speed oval track for twenty laps… so that is part of the job, too, just not ALL of the job.
Extensive testing
Hallered was opened in 1973 and has since been the heart of the Swedish automaker’s testing arenas. There are other proving grounds, such as the cold weather test facility near Jokkmokk in Lapland, or the one in the US, which is ideal for warm weather work.
Among the various tests conducted within the 700-hectare grounds include life expectancy, reliability, comfort and performance characteristics, and that’s just on the vehicle side.
Any number of tests can be carried out in the laboratories from fuel analysis to hot and cold weather testing of components.
If you can think it
Within the grounds are all manner of labours that a car will endure within its lifecycle, not to mention several dozen that most wouldn’t consider within the scope of normal usage.
Side slopes with “fallen” logs, rock gardens, paved sections with simulated, deep-set manholes, Belgian pave, steep inclines and declines of dirt and tar are all there for test drivers to thump test cars against.
I felt a twinge of sympathy for the car that were travelling in on the day of my tour as Aldeby thumped over the various obstacles, but he assured me that in its 90 000-odd km, all of which were earned at Hallered, it’s seen a LOT worse. Incidentally there wasn’t the slightest creak or squeak to be heard in the cabin.
Specific qualifications
Not all 90 drivers are allowed to conduct the full spectrum of tests at Hallered. Even though they might ultimately be capable drivers, each needs to obtain specific licences for different levels of test procedures.
With a T1 grading you are only allowed to drive to a maximum 130 km/h within the grounds. Stepping up to T2, which entails a theoretical and driving exam, lifts the speed cap to 250 km/h.
T3 holders are allowed the full speed range and it is these highly skilled men and ladies that are certified to do chassis and handling testing. My driver for the day happens to be T3 accredited.
So much more
While most enthusiasts imagine that being a test driver is a glamourous occupation where you fling cars around racetracks al day, the reality is very different.
Aldeby has a 9-to-5 gig, like most others, that requires him to report to a boss every day. Though, if you have to choose from all the places you’d like your office to be, Hallered Proving Ground must be right up there with the best of them.
Images by: Ulrika Göransson
For a closer look at what takes place at Hallered Proving Ground check out the video below.