The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (TMNA R&D) are equipping vehicles owned by Toyota team members and their families with the latest V2X technology.
DSRC 5.9GHz connected vehicle systems, which enable vehicles to communicate wirelessly with other similarly equipped vehicles, and to communicate wirelessly with the infrastructure, are being installed on cars at the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE) – the world’s largest such test environment, which operates throughout the city of Ann Arbor.
Earlier this year, Toyota and Lexus announced plans to deploy dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) systems on vehicles sold in the USA starting in 2021. Now, Toyota has invited more than 1,800 R&D team members and their families who live and work in Washtenaw County to have their vehicles equipped with the DSRC 5.9GHz V2X technology.
“Ann Arbor is an international hub for connected vehicle technology and research and it has everything to do with the community,” said James R Sayer, director, UMTRI. “This deployment allows us to gather data critical to advancing transportation safety. A fully operational deployment enables UMTRI to conduct US$3m-US$5m in research a year, making it a significant living laboratory.”
To date, US$50m has been invested in connected vehicles and infrastructure in Ann Arbor, beginning with the US$30m Safety Pilot DSRC 5.9GHz V2X technology Model Deployment, launched in 2012 by UMTRI and the USDOT. AACVTE funding partners include UMTRI’s Mcity, the Michigan Economic Development Corp and the City of Ann Arbor.