China is set to conduct real-world testing of new energy vehicles in Antarctica, as Avatr Technology prepares to send its Avatr 12 sedan aboard the research icebreaker Xuelong.

The vehicle is expected to become the first NEV sedan to land on the southernmost continent.

The test is part of a strategic cooperation launched in Tianjin on Tuesday between Avatr, the Polar Research Institute of China, and the Automotive Engineering Research Institute of the China Automotive Technology and Research Center.

The partners also unveiled an "Advanced New Energy Vehicle Technologies Global Adaptative Development and Application" innovation base on the same day.

The initiative builds on the commissioning of a large-scale clean energy system at Qinling Station, China's fifth Antarctic research base, which has created conditions for deploying NEVs in extreme polar environments.

Under the framework, the Polar Research Institute of China will provide the test environment and on-site support through its research stations, the Automotive Engineering Research Institute will act as an independent technical body for vehicle-level adaptability testing, and Avatr will lead the development and application of advanced NEV technologies.

"China's auto industry has stepped onto the global stage, and Avatr's testing bases have gone global, with hundreds of engineers and test vehicles already deployed in multiple countries. The Antarctic campaign will fill the gap for polar scenarios," said Yong Jun, vice-president of Avatr.

Testing will simulate user scenarios in ultra-low temperatures, including fault-injection experiments to validate the functional safety of steering, braking, vehicle control and electric-drive systems.

Development verification of key components under harsh conditions will also be carried out.

"After the vehicle lands in Antarctica, we will conduct more rigorous adaptability development and application tests," said Zhang Zhiguo, chairman of AERI.

Yong added that data generated from the campaign will be standardized by CATARC in line with established industry norms and shared with automakers worldwide.