Toyota Helping Turn Ann Arbor Into World's Largest Connected Car Proving Ground

Toyota is helping turn Ann Arbor, Michigan, into the world’s largest operational, real-world deployment of connected vehicles and infrastructure.

The Japanese automaker has announced a partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and will be deploying cars on the roads of Ann Arbor for real-world testing. The Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment (AACVTE) is a real-world implementation of connected vehicle safety technologies being used on a daily basis by drivers in the city and around Southeast Michigan. AACVTE intends to build on the existing model in Ann Arbor, upgrading and expanding the test environment to help make it the standard for a nationwide implementation.

Ann Arbor is already the largest Dedicated Short Range Communication test bed in the world, and currently the Michigan government is very active in expanding deployment throughout the state.

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As part of its partnership with UMTRI, Toyota will be inviting team members and their families to participate in the AACVTE initiative. The automaker’s vehicles will be equipped with devices to support accelerated research and deployment of advanced Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure systems in the region. Toyota’s goal is to deploy 5,000 vehicles with vehicle awareness devices throughout the Ann Arbor area.

“Ann Arbor is an international hub for connected vehicle technology and research, and it has everything to do with the community. Toyota is again demonstrating their commitment to the community by their investment in the recently announced TRI, and by encouraging employees to participate in cutting edge research,” said James R. Sayer, director, UMTRI.

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