Michigan connected vehicle test site named national proving ground

YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, MI - The American Center for Mobility's future testing facility for autonomous and connected vehicles in Ypsilanti Township has been named one of 10 national proving grounds by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Being chosen by the U.S. Department of Transportation is a big point for us," said John Maddox, president and CEO of the American Center for Mobility. "We are very happy to be one of those chosen."

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the national proving grounds are meant to "encourage testing and information sharing around automated vehicle technologies" as well as encourage innovation and further automated technology.

The American Center for Mobility is the only testing facility in Michigan to be designated as a national proving ground. More than 60 organizations applied to receive the designation. Other designated sites include:

  • City of Pittsburgh and the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute
  • Texas AV Proving Grounds Partnership
  • U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland
  • Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) & GoMentum Station in California
  • San Diego Association of Governments
  • Iowa City Area Development Group
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • Central Florida Automated Vehicle Partners
  • North Carolina Turnpike Authority

Not only is there a growing need for these types of sites, Maddox said, but ACM has an opportunity to fill a leadership role in that group with the expertise in automotive technology already present throughout Michigan.

He compared the national proving grounds to the national laboratories established by the Department of Energy "to solve large-scale difficult problems for the good of society."

"Our designation means that we'll be a place where industry and government can come and work together as well as be assured they have the latest and greatest technology," Maddox said. "The USDOT will help our industry, and vice versa, to help these products develop quickly and safely."

During a groundbreaking ceremony at the future site of ACM, Gov. Rick Snyder remarked on the importance of that transformation not just for Michigan, but for society. He encouraged those gathered to not think of Willow Run as a physical plant, but an "opportunity to lead our future."

"We will be safer on the roads," Snyder said. "We will be using our infrastructure in smarter, better ways than ever before."

The ACM testing facility's design includes a six lane boulevard, a rural section featuring trees alongside the route, various types of intersections, roundabouts and stoplights to see how the vehicles perform in all types of situations.

Part of that environment includes highways, and ACM is in talks with the Michigan Department of Transportation to take over a 2.5-mile loop of U.S. 12 for a high-speed test route, featuring tunnels and overpasses to create dynamic situations for testing vehicles.

The organization recently announced a partnership with cellular network provider AT&T at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas before heading to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

"We just got our voices back, talked so much about what we're doing," Maddox said about the 15-day event that draws automotive companies, manufacturers and technology companies along with thousands of spectators.

As for the testing facility near the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, there is a lot of activity happening to ready the site for construction.

"We are on target for an early April construction start," Maddox said, adding survey and engineering teams are mapping out the roads and features of the testing facility.

Work will now start on communicating with the other national proving ground sites to establish a set of common standards and data sets to be used across the country, and possibly at testing facilities around the world.

"Humans are almost identical, we're the ones inside the vehicles that need to be protected," Maddox said. "There's no reason in principle the safety standards shouldn't be similar."

Officials around Michigan applauded ACM's designation, including U.S. Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn.

ACM is a joint initiative with the State of Michigan founded in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the University of Michigan, Business Leaders for Michigan and Ann Arbor SPARK.

"It is incredibly gratifying to be able to attract global attention to the Ann Arbor region, tied to the future of the automotive industry," said Paul Krutko, Ann Arbor SPARK president and CEO, in a statement. "Going forward, Ann Arbor SPARK will continue to work with the incredible ACM team, and actively pursue companies to locate here to research and develop mobility technology."

At an economic forum Wednesday, Jan. 18, Lt. Gov. Brian Calley said Michigan is well-positioned to benefit from autonomous and connected vehicle testing facilities nearby like the University of Michigan's M-City and the future site for The American Center for Mobility.

"Things are not going to stay the same. Those that drive the future are the ones who won it, and that's where we are at today," Calley said. "Our state is in a position to drive where the technology and future of the world goes, and it's exciting."

It's a statement echoed by Maddox, who is excited to see the development of the national proving grounds and what ACM can achieve in the future.

"Michigan is of course in the lead on vehicle technology, and we mean to keep it that way," Maddox said. "We at ACM are really going to take the lead among this group of proving grounds."

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