Michigan Driverless Vehicle Test Site to Be Operational this Spring

Officials expect a Michigan testing site for connected and driverless cars that will simulate a cityscape to be operational this spring.

Called “M City,” the 32-acre site is taking shape on the University of Michigan’s North Campus in Ann Arbor. Designed and built in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Transportation, roadway construction at the facility was completed in December.

The site will include a network of roads with up to five lanes, intersections, roundabouts, roadway markings, traffic signs, signals and sidewalks. Also planned are bus facilities, benches, simulated buildings, streetlights, parked cars and obstacles.

The school wants Ann Arbor to be home to a shared fleet of networked, driverless vehicles by 2021. The testing site is being built in partnership with industry and government.

Connected vehicles exchange data, including location, speed and direction, with other vehicles and the surrounding infrastructure via wireless communication devices. Automated vehicles are equipped with systems to perform driving functions such as acceleration, braking or steering.