Driverless Cars

The University of Michigan has broken ground on a facility in Ann Arbor to test driverless vehicles. The Michigan Mobility Transformation Center’s test site will be a 5-mile road — complete with twists and turns and a cityscape designed to simulate a real-world driving experience. It will be built on a 30-acre portion of U-M’s North Campus Research Complex at a cost of $6.5 million. The course will integrate the next generation of signalized intersections, building facades, pedestrians and bicyclists for the testing and integration of connected and automated mobility systems. Work will start in June and is expected to be completed by mid-September to coincide with the 2014 Intelligent Transport Systems World Congress’ event in Detroit.