The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism issued an unexpected statement on Thursday, announcing an agreement to create the Spanish Laboratory Network for Autonomous and Connected Vehicles. The signing photo featured Minister Reyes Maroto alongside CTAG director Luis Moreno of the Galicia Automotive Technology Center. At the time, the plan included establishing test and research centers to validate new products and R&D activities, with the capability to test and pre-approve them.
Hidden in the title was a major breakthrough: Vigo’s highly anticipated high-speed track would become part of the initiative in full. “The ultimate goal of this project is to design, build and commission this network of labs or test circuits for validation tests,” Moreno explains, “and of course this includes the circuit we propose; I could not stay outside.”
The technology center operates a small runway at its headquarters in O Porriño, used by engineers to perform essential verifications on vehicle developments. Yet it has spent years shaping a high-speed track comprising six lanes and core facilities to establish itself as an industry reference and broaden the services it offers.
To advance this vision, CTAG leveraged opportunities provided by the Next Generation funds. The project initially targeted the industrial zone known as Plisan and later moved to A Cañiza, but it faced the same hurdle as the Balaídos factory: support stiffness under Perte VEC, an initiative for Electric and Connected Vehicles launched by the automotive sector, which blocked Vigo’s circuit from receiving these aids. [Attribution: CTAG briefing]
Now, as Moreno notes, the situation has shifted. The Thursday protocol states that the Spanish Network of Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Laboratories will receive EU funds outside the Perte framework while remaining part of Next Generation funding. “The project will be financed by European funds, national funds, and private contributions,” says the CTAG director. He cautions that the budget has not been finalized, but offers a rough estimate of 300 to 400 million euros in preliminary calculations.
Coordination
The Industry announcement positions CTAG as the coordinator of a major national effort, with the Galician center acting as the liaison between public administrations and the inter-ministerial private-sector commission. The plan involves industry associations, technology and research centers, manufacturers’ groups such as Anfac, suppliers like Sernauto, and major automotive companies themselves. One notable participant is Catalan company Cellnex, which collaborates with Zona Franca, the Concello, and CTAG on a tractor project that includes the circuit.
The objective is for most established automotive regions to be primary beneficiaries. “To promote the complementarity of all these facilities, each will host laboratories and pathways for specific uses under CTAG’s coordination. Naturally, all of them will include the proposed circuit. Governance details will follow,” Moreno explains.
The timeline envisioned by Moreno and his team aims to bring the initiative to fruition by 2027, at least in an advanced stage. While Vigo’s circuit remains a focal point, plans for Plisan or A Cañiza are still being defined. Early estimates place the initial investment in a range around 30 to 50 million euros. [Attribution: Project timeline briefing]