Toyota Motor North America Research & Development and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) recently welcomed Toyota team members and their families to “Get Connected” in the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE).
The more than 1,800 Toyota research and development team members and their families who live and work in Washtenaw County were invited to have their vehicles equipped with the latest connected-vehicle technology. The technology allows vehicles to communicate wirelessly with the infrastructure and to communicate wirelessly with other similarly equipped vehicles.
Toyota and Lexus announced earlier this year their plan to deploy Dedicated Short-Range Communications systems on vehicles sold in the United States starting in 2021.
“Ann Arbor is an international hub for connected-vehicle technology and research, and it has everything to do with the community,” James R. Sayer, research institute director, said. “This deployment allows us to gather data critical to advancing transportation safety. A fully operational deployment enables UMTRI to conduct $3-5M in research a year, making it a significant living laboratory.”
The AACVTE is led by the university and its partners and is the world’s largest test environment for connected vehicle safety technologies. A total of $50 million has been invested in connected vehicles and infrastructure.