Mcity collaborates with government at all levels in the pursuit of innovation for the public good, setting regulations and developing infrastructure.
LOCAL
City of Ann Arbor
The support and cooperation of the city of Ann Arbor at many levels has long been essential to the work of Mcity, and to furthering the progress of deploying advanced technologies for safety, mobility, and efficiency. Recently Mcity joined May Mobility, and Ann Arbor SPARK to announce A2GO, a new autonomous vehicle (AV) shuttle service that will launch in October 2021.
In the past, with the implementation of the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Model Deployment in 2012, the streets of Ann Arbor became the world’s largest test bed for evaluating the potential of connected vehicles and infrastructure technology. The initial connected environment and deployment project evolved into the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE) and today is known as the Ann Arbor Connected Environment (AACE).
Mcity’s work within the local civic environment is paving the way for regional and national deployments that are critical to demonstrating the safety and commercial viability of connected and automated vehicles.
STATE
Mobility Michigan
Michigan’s innovative leadership is successfully driving collaboration among public, private and philanthropic partners to advance the state’s mobility ecosystem. The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification supports a comprehensive statewide approach to help government, education and the private sector succeed in growing the mobility and electrification industry in Michigan.
Michigan Department of Transportation
Michigan is a leader in deploying intelligent transportation systems (ITS) and U-M has collaborated with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in the evaluation of ITS, including the use of probe vehicle data for management of the highway network. MDOT worked closely with U-M on the design of the Mcity Test Facility, a unique simulated urban environment for testing connected and automated vehicle systems, and provided funding to support construction of the facility. In addition, MDOT and U-M work closely on the development and implementation of connected vehicle test beds in Southeast Michigan which provide a platform for research involving vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications on highways across the region.
Michigan Economic Development Corporation
As the state’s non-profit economic development organization, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) has identified Mcity as a major collaborator that will help stimulate advances in connected and automated vehicles and position the state as a leader in the field.
American Center for Mobility
The American Center for Mobility (ACM), located at the 530-acre historic Willow Run site in Ypsilanti Township in Southeast Michigan, is a non-profit testing, education and product development facility for future mobility.
ACM is located less than 20 miles from the Mcity. The two operations complement each other. Mcity is focused on pre-competitive research projects, education, and living lab vehicle deployments, while ACM’s priorities are testing the readiness of new technologies and enabling safe validation and self-certification of connected and automated vehicle technology.
FEDERAL
U.S. Department of Transportation
U-M has had a long-standing partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation, conducting a wide range of federally funded research in motor vehicle safety and efficiency. Most recently, Mcity supported the Ann Arbor Connected Environment (AACE), a $13 million federally funded project conducted and operated by the U-M Transportation Research Institute. The AACE is a real-world implementation of connected vehicle technologies used by thousands of drivers in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan. Connected vehicle technology allows vehicles to communicate wirelessly with each other and with infrastructure such as traffic signals. The information gathered from this study can be used for certain safety applications – such as collision warning systems – sustainability initiatives, and may one day be used to help guide automated vehicles.
U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) in 2015 awarded a three-year, $2.7 million grant to Mcity researchers to study the potential energy savings of connected and automated vehicles. This was the first connected and automated vehicle project funded by U.S. DOE. The U-M Transportation Research Institute participated in the research, along with U.S. DOE’s Argonne and Idaho national labs.