Ohio Gov. John Kasich recently signed an executive order establishing DriveOhio, an initiative designed to create collaboration between developers, manufacturers, and researchers on autonomous and connected vehicles.
DriveOhio is a partnership between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Ohio Turnpike Infrastructure Commission, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Insurance, the Department of Administrative Services, the Public Utilities Commissions of Ohio, the Ohio Adjutant General’s Department, and the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation.
Teams will compete for a $5 million contract. DriveOhio is asking for proposals to focus on recommendations for developing public-private partnerships, identifying software requirements, business plans to prioritize deployments, data communication planning, a framework to guide current and future autonomous and connected vehicle deployments, a framework for data storage, management and security, and systems engineering analysis.
“The time is right,” ODOT Director Jerry Wray said. “Innovation and advancements in technologies are disrupting every industry and creating opportunities for Ohio that we cannot afford to let pass. Ohio already is deeply involved in the research and development of automotive technologies and systems, smart mobility, vehicle autonomy, and sensors. DriveOhio gives us a structure to move forward with unprecedented intention and speed.”
The state already has several autonomous and connected vehicle projects underway.