Mcity proving ground mimics real-road conditions for connected cars

Aug. 10, 2015
Numerous industry suppliers are joining together to help sponsor a new $6.5-million one-of-a-kind test track and related research programs aimed at perfecting connected and automated vehicles with the goal of bringing them to the mainstream automotive marketplace as quickly as possible.

Numerous industry suppliers are joining together to help sponsor a new $6.5-million one-of-a-kind test track and related research programs aimed at perfecting connected and automated vehicles with the goal of bringing them to the mainstream automotive marketplace as quickly as possible.

Known as Mcity and operated by the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC), the site is a 32-acre simulated urban and suburban environment featuring a series of roads complete with intersections, traffic signs and signals, streetlights, building facades, sidewalks and construction obstacles. It provides a proving ground for current connected and automated vehicle applications along with providing a cooperative environment for exploring future technologies.

“We feel that the level of research and the opportunity for collaboration offered through Mcity is necessary to reach our goal that the intersections of the future are collision-free and safer for all roadway users,” says Gary Duncan, chief technology officer at the Econolite Group, which is among the project’s array of investors.

The company conducted a demonstration of its recent developments at Mcity’s July grand opening ceremony. DENSO, Delphi, Bosch and other sponsoring vendors also did demos at the event. Additional corporate Mcity supporters include BorgWarner, TRW, Qualcomm, AGC Automotive, Arada Systems, Brandmotion, Calspan, DURA Automotive Systems, Faurecia, Iteris, Harman, Hitachi, State Farm, the AAA, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and China’s Changan Automobile.

“Connected and automated vehicles hold the potential to dramatically improve the safety, sustainability and accessibility of our mobility system,” says MTC director Dr. Peter Sweatman, citing the ongoing importance of industry involvement with the school’s Affiliates Program, which has 27 initial member firms. “Through this consortium arrangement, we seek to engage the range of cutting-edge technology suppliers, thought leaders and entrepreneurs required to inform and drive progress toward that transformative vision.”

A broad range of affiliated sectors are represented, such as auto manufacturing, vehicle communication devices, chips and hardware, insurance, advanced modeling, big data acquisition and intelligent transportation systems.

“Only by bringing together partners from these sectors as well as from government will we be able to address the full complexity of the challenges ahead as we all work to realize the opportunities presented by this emerging technology,” Sweatman says. “I am thrilled with the diversity and global reach of the new ecosystem of companies and agencies we have created. Our founding Leadership Circle provides a unique nucleus for collaboration, deployment and rapid learning in connected and automated mobility.”

The Affiliate Program complements the 14 Leadership Circle companies that have each committed a total of $1 million over three years to the MTC and its programs. Support is also coming from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC). Federal funding is another facet of the endeavor.

Forming a public-private partnership among industry executives, government officials and academic experts is considered crucial for successfully laying the foundations of a commercially viable system of connected and automated vehicles.

“There are many interrelated technical, legal, social, economic, regulatory and urban planning challenges ahead,” says Sweatman. “Working with a diverse group of partners in industry and departments across our campus, each of which brings its own expertise and perspectives to the table, is critical to our success.”

Affiliates commit a total of $150,000 each over three years in order to participate in selected MTC working groups and research programs as well as key research reviews and an annual MTC Congress. They will also have selected access to the MTC’s off-roadway and on-road testing programs.

A key goal of the initiative is to implement a connected and automated mobility system on the real-life roads of southeastern Michigan by 2021. The MTC is developing on-roadway deployments of more than 20,000 cars, trucks and buses to serve as test-beds for evaluating consumer behavior and exploring market opportunities.

“Connected and automated vehicle technology will usher in a revolution in the mobility of people and goods comparable to that sparked by the introduction of the automobile a century ago,” Sweatman says. “Mcity will allow us to rigorously test new approaches in a safe, controlled and realistic environment before we implement them on actual streets.”

When rolled out on a large scale, systems of connected and automated vehicles can dramatically improve safety, relieve traffic congestion, cut back on emissions, conserve energy and maximize transportation accessibility, he says.

‘Next big thing’

As research moves forward, “connected” is defined as meaning that vehicles talk to each other and to elements of the infrastructure according to a national standard of quality and reliability.

Connected vehicles anonymously and securely exchange data – including location, speed and direction – with other vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure via wireless communication devices. This data can warn individual drivers of traffic tie-ups or emerging dangerous situations, such as a car slipping on ice around an upcoming curve, or a car that may be likely to run a red light ahead.

“Automated” vehicles are equipped with new systems of situation awareness and control that increasingly replace elements of human response and behavior. Such vehicles respond automatically to traffic situations by activating certain driving functions, such as acceleration, braking or steering. The highest level of automation allows for cars to be driverless.

Connected vehicles, commonly known as V2V, have been tested extensively by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safety Pilot Model Deployment in Ann Arbor. The results have been used to support the recent Advanced Notice of Proposed Rule Making announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Connected vehicle technology, including vehicles that can communicate with one another and with the surrounding infrastructure (V2I), has the potential to avoid the majority of serious crashes when extensively deployed, says Sweatman.

As work continues to bring V2V and related technologies to market as quickly as possible, MDOT director Kirk T. Steudle reports that his agency will work to equip state highways with a network of sensors and cameras that can collect data to be communicated to V2V and V2I-enabled vehicles. Cameras and sensors will be located on the sides of certain state highways, including up to a half-mile off of the highway.

“This is the next big thing for the state that put the world on wheels,” says Steudle, crediting GM and Ford with making key inroads.

“GM is a leader in this space and we invite other OEMs to push for progress in this area. The goal, after all, is bigger than the success of any one company,” says GM CEO Mary Barra.

“Ford is committed to V2V research and the implementation of connected transportation systems, which are integral to our Blueprint for Mobility,” according to Mike Shulman, Ford’s technical leader for research and innovation. “No one organization can do this alone, and Ford is pleased to join with other industry leaders and accelerate the pace of innovation to keep the industry moving towards the future. By seamlessly connecting cars we hope to reduce crashes and congestion, which will save time, conserve resources and keep drivers safer.”

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