UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Mcity Provides a Testing Ground for Autonomous Vehicles

July 21, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

Autonomous driving test facilities are few in number. The University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transportation have partnered to build Mcity, a facility where connected cars and autonomous driving can be put through the paces.

It is understood that driverless vehicles will eventually become commonplace on America’s roads. What is not yet clear is when this will happen. Indeed, there are obstacles that may slow down the process, including state and federal regulations, insurance industry oversight, and consumer acceptance. The technology is there, but the barriers must be removed.

On Monday, the University of Michigan launched Mcity, its 32-acre controlled environment designed to advance connected car and autonomous vehicle technologies. The city within the city of Ann Arbor will provide a unique environment for manufacturers, regulators, suppliers and insurance companies to help make autonomous driving a reality.

State and Industry Cooperation

Mcity was founded by the University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Together, the two invested more than $10 million in the test facility and 15 companies, including automotive manufacturers, insurance companies, technology companies and industry suppliers are contributing $1 million over the first three years. An additional 33 companies are contributing $150,000 over that span.

“We believe that this transformation to connected and automated mobility will be a game changer for safety, for efficiency, for energy, and for accessibility,” said Peter Sweatman, director of the U-M Mobility Transformation Center. “Our cities will be much better to live in, our suburbs will be much better to live in. These technologies truly open the door to 21st century mobility.”

Michigan remains the top state for producing cars as well as for research and development. The Wolverine State has also been at the forefront of connected vehicle technologies, something that Mcity is designed to advance.

“We’ve been a world leader in innovation, especially in terms of mobility,” said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. “We put the world on wheels. We transformed how the world moved. Michigan is uniquely positioned to continue to be a leader in mobility, and the University of Michigan’s new Mcity will play a critical role in that future.”

Real World Surroundings

Mcity was designed to mimic real world conditions. Thus, the environment includes a carefully designed network of roads along with traffic signs and signals, street lights, construction obstacles, sidewalks and, yes, building facades. The initiative was designed to provide surroundings that will allow emerging technologies to be tested in a controlled environment.

“There are many challenges ahead as automated vehicles are increasingly deployed on real roadways,” Sweatman said. “Mcity is a safe, controlled, and realistic environment where we are going to figure out how the incredible potential of connected and automated vehicles can be realized quickly, efficiently and safely.”

Mcity: Vehicle to Vehicle Communication

Mcity will permit vehicles to talk with each other, even around blind corners, as well as to the infrastructure. The locale will help vehicles determine when a person crosses the road in front of a car as well as detecting when a dog does likewise.

As important as Mcity is for building an autonomous vehicle network, it is only the first step that the University of Michigan, the UDOT and its partners will take. Real world deployment will expand to Ann Arbor proper where connected cars are already traversing the city’s streets. From there, the entire southeast region of the state will become the testing ground, simulating driving conditions throughout the country.

Thus, from a controlled environment with just scores of vehicles at work, the deployment will expand to as many as 9,000 vehicles in Ann Arbor to 20,000 vehicles in the southeast Michigan region. Further, a 2,000-vehicle mobility service of connected and automated vehicles will be deployed in Ann Arbor.

For more information, check out the U-M Mobility Transformation Center.

University of Michigan: Connected Vehicle Favorability Confirmed

April 10, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

A survey of public opinion about connected vehicles was recently conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). That survey, authored by Brandon Schoettle (project manager) and Michael Sivak (research professor), revealed that the majority of people surveyed in three predominately English-speaking countries (US, UK, and Australia) had not heard about connected-vehicle technology, but most expressed a positive initial opinion of the same.

Connected-Vehicle Survey

The researchers conducted an online survey through SurveyMonkey.com in March 2014 with the results published early the following month. The team developed a questionnaire to assess participant familiarity and their general opinion about connected vehicles.

As defined by the US Department of Transportation Research and Innovative Technology Administration, connected vehicles represent an initiative that aims to enable safe, interoperable networked wireless communications among vehicles, the infrastructure, and passengers’ personal communications devices. When fully operational, the technology is expected to reduce accidents, improve mobility, and provide environmental benefits.

With connected vehicles you wont be
blowing past stop signs.

The researchers also addressed topics related to the expected benefits of connected vehicles, concerns about the technology, the importance of certain connected-vehicle features, and participant interest in owning and their willingness to pay for connected-vehicle technology. The same core survey was conducted in all three nations with slight variations for spelling and currency.

Some 1,596 completed applications were accepted with the United States accounting for 576 responses to 520 from the United Kingdom and 500 from Australia. The researchers claim that the populace of the respective nations were represented minus people that do not have Internet access.

First Impressions

The researchers first asked the survey participants, “Had you ever heard of connected
vehicles before participating in this survey?” Overwhelmingly that answer was no, with only 21.9 percent affirming that they had.

Once they understood what connected-vehicle technology was, 62.4 percent expressed either a very positive (23.4 percent) or somewhat positive (39 percent) opinion about connected vehicles. Approximately one-third (32.6 percent) of the participants were neutral with just 4.9 percent offering negative (3.9 percent) or very negative (1 percent) opinions.

University of Michigan Transportation Institute

Source: Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

Connected Vehicle Benefits

The UMTRI moved on to ask, “How likely do you think it is that the following benefits will occur when using connected vehicles?” That third question covered a number of topics including fewer crashes and a reduction in injuries, improved emergency response time, reduced traffic congestion, shorter travel time, lower vehicle emissions, improved fuel economy, lower insurance rates, and fewer driver distractions.

Some 85.9 percent of the participants believed that fewer crashes were very likely (28 percent) or somewhat likely (57.9 percent). Nearly as many (83.7 percent) believed that crash severity would fall as well.

As far as the impact on insurance rates, approximately two-thirds (67.4 percent) believed that insurance rates would fall, but an even 25 percent thought it somewhat unlikely. And despite connected vehicles doing much of the driving, nearly 40 percent were skeptical that it would cut down on distracted driving.

University of Michigan Transportation Institute

Source: Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute

Safety Consequence and Other Concerns

The fourth question asked, How concerned are you about the following issues related to connected vehicles?” That question also covered a number of topics including the safety consequences of equipment failure, driver legal liability, system and vehicle security as pertains to hackers, data privacy, pedestrian and cyclist interaction, learning how to operate these vehicles, potential distractions, performance in certain weather conditions, and the drivers reliability on the technology.

Some 82.1 percent of the participants expressed some level of concern about equipment or system failure. Just over two-thirds were concerned about potential legal liability for the driver or the vehicle owner, while three-quarters of the respondents believed that drivers would rely too much on the technology.

Pay Up or Not

The researchers concluded that the answers were very uniform across the three countries surveyed with high levels of agreement in a number of areas. Most participants expressed their interest in having connected-vehicle technology in their cars, although half said that they weren’t willing to pay for it. Of those willing to do so, those amounts ranged from US$20 to US$1,500.

Founded in 1965, UMTRI is a leader in motor vehicle research related to injury biomechanics. The institute has conducted more than 1,000 short- and long-term projects in a variety of areas including accident data collection and traffic safety analysis. UMTRI is also committed to advancing safe and sustainable transportation.

University of Michigan: American Car Ownership Falls

January 27, 2014 by admin 4 Comments

Car ownership may have finally peaked, study reveals.

Americas love affair with cars remains, but it isnt as strong as it once was. Research conducted by the University of Michigan Research Transportation Institute (UMTRI) has found that the number of US households doing without a car has fallen in each year since 2007. The study comes on the heels of earlier UMTRI research that revealed Americans own fewer light-duty vehicles, are driving them less, but also consuming less fuel.

At the Wheel. — The number of homes without a car is on the rise.

Falling Car Ownership Rates

UMTRI took a look at a trend spanning from 2005 to 2012, noting near-consistent slippage in the number of US households owning light-duty vehicles (LDVs) beginning in 2007. LDVs compose cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and pickup trucks. Of the 30 largest US cities, 21 saw an increase in the number of households not owning a car, including the top 13 cities.

The proportion of households without a vehicle is likely influenced by a variety of factors, said Michael Sivak, a research professor at U-M. Examples of such factors include the quality of public transportation, urban layout and walkability, availability and cost of parking, income and price of fuel.

Urban Residents and Car Ownership

New York City has long led the list with the number of households not having a vehicle, coming in at 56 percent in 2012. Seven more cities have at least a quarter of households without a vehicle including Washington, DC, at 38 percent, Philadelphia at 33 percent, and Detroit at 26 percent.

Each city is located in the congested northeast or upper midwest corridors, with the exception of San Francisco. At 31 percent, San Francisco’s rate matched Baltimore, trailed Boston’s 37 percent and was ahead of Chicago’s 28 percent.

The Cost of Car Ownership

Analysts have been looking at the cost of car ownership for many years, a factor that can also contribute to the fall in car ownership. Indeed, in 2012 Consumer Reports (CR) found that over the first five years of a median cars ownership, it costs more than $9,100 per year to own one. Cars such as a Mini Cooper averaged $5,800 per year while large SUVs cost $13,000 or more per year to own.

In its survey, CR looked at six categories of car ownership led by depreciation representing 48 percent of ownership costs followed by fuel at 24 percent. Interest on loans at 11 percent and insurance at 10 percent followed. Taxes, as well as maintenance and repairs, accounted for 4 percent each.

CR also looked at one- and eight-year owner costs to show a drop in those costs over time. However, depreciation remains the largest cost throughout, accounting for 57 percent for the first year, gradually falling to 43 percent for the eighth year.

Desiring Affordable Transportation

Americas love affair with cars has long been based on affordable transportation. With the economy struggling to find footing and with consumers seeking to contain costs, the trend toward fewer vehicles on the road seems assured. That some households are doing without a car at all usually points to urban living where car ownership is as much as a hassle as it is a significant cost.

Notably, what often isn’t included in these reports is consumers attitude towards car sharing. This is an option that allows people to use a car for as long as they need it, from just a few hours to a few days. Thus, people have access to a vehicle without the burden of car ownership and of parking as is the case for city dwellers.

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