The Hyundai America Technical Center (HATC) is entering into a long-term partnership with the American Center for Mobility (ACM) to support the advancement of connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technology. HATC will contribute US$5m to support the creation of a collaborative test environment in Southeast Michigan.
Located at the Willow Run site in Ypsilanti Township, ACM is creating a proving ground where companies will collaborate to develop CAV and future mobility technologies, as well as work on standards and education programs.
“Hyundai’s investment supporting ACM strengthens our long-term commitment to the advancement of safety and mobility through automated vehicle technology,” said Andy Freels, president, HATC. “Working together with industry, academia and government provides a collaborative environment to support new and innovative mobility.
“We are excited to be a founding member of the government-industry team at the neighboring ACM facility. We will help set the direction for CAV standards and test advanced technologies in a safe environment for the North American customer.”
The creation of the testing environment will enhance HATC’s development and validation of advanced driver-assistance systems and CAV technologies. The ACM facility will provide testing in a repeatable and controlled environment to improve the safety of these systems. This collaboration will advance safety, connectivity, cybersecurity and autonomous technologies.
Testing emphases will include sensor technology development; vehicle/infrastructure communication; specification development for infrastructure scenarios such as rural, residential, highway, overpasses, off-road and urban; and severe test conditions featuring various weather situations.
The contribution from Hyundai brings ACM’s fundraising total to US$101m to develop the 500-acre testing site at Willow Run. The center’s first phase of construction is nearing completion and the testing and validation, product development, education and standards facility will open in December.
Hyundai joins other ACM founders, namely AT&T, Toyota and Ford. The ACM project is a joint initiative with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, State of Michigan, Michigan Department of Transportation, the University of Michigan, Business Leaders for Michigan, and Ann Arbor Spark.
October 26, 2017