Route 33 To Be Used for Autonomous Car Research

road 2103265 1280

An area of Route 33 will be used for vehicle-to-infrastructure communication tests for autonomous car research. $15 million is being invested in the Smart Mobility Corridor that will run between East Liberty and Dublin. The communication tests will allow autonomous vehicles to talk to highway systems and each other, which could help ease congestion.

Optic cable wiring will occur during the Summer of 2017, although there is no official launch date as yet. The wiring will allow researchers to obtain data from sensors placed along the road, where testing can begin. A partnership between Intel subsidiary Wind River and Ohio State University, the city of Dublin and the Transportation Research Center will be among the first to use the 35-mile section of Route 33 as a test area for self-driving cars. The area is ideal for many US manufacturers, who would prefer not to travel abroad for testing.

The research could be fundamental to the future of autonomous vehicles. A PR statement claimed that the project will aim to “increase the pace, quality and development, testing and deployment of self-driving and other connected vehicle technologies.” As well as testing communication between vehicles and infrastructures, tests will be carried out for related technologies including smart mapping and smart sensing.

The region around the Transportation Research Center has quickly grown into an emerging center for high-tech automotive research. Ohio is clearly emerging as a hub for smart vehicles. “Ohio is in a good position to capitalize on the research and development dollars being invested in future mobility initiatives,” said Michelle Krebs from Autotrader. “It already has a strong automotive base with Fiat Chrysler’s Jeep complex near Toledo and Honda’s significant research, development and manufacturing operations around Marysville.” Honda’s Ohio-based R&D Center is working on introducing autonomous vehicles by 2020 and aim to release a model that is almost completely autonomous by 2025.

If your company is participating in R&D, you may benefit from a state and federal tax credit. Ohio’s R&D Investment Tax Credit is 7% of the qualifying expenditures. Contact a Swanson Reed specialist for more information.

First American Autonomous Bus Project Starts in Nevada

Proterra autonomous bus

Proterra has begun America’s first autonomous bus test project in Nevada, one of the leading states in autonomous driving legislation. In partnership with the University of Nevada and its Living Lab Coalition, Proterra will develop and test the zero-emission vehicles in downtown Reno.

Unlike other programs, the project aims to develop a system for real world driving conditions. It will need to deal with difficult situations, including emergency response, varied road conditions and dense traffic. Implementing the project will be complex due to strict laws, which will differ from private autonomous vehicles.

The Living Lab program has three development stages; data collection, algorithm development and licensing and commercialization. First, the battery-powered bus will be driven by a human and will pick up data about the different city routes using sensors. Using this data, engineers will try different algorithms to see how they would perform autonomously, looking for ways to improve safety and predict traffic flow. The algorithms will aim to solve issues of vehicle perception, navigation control and path planning. The university will also focus on vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure research. The end goal is to allow one of the programs to steer, under the watchful eye of a human supervisor.

Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra believes that autonomous buses will become a common part of daily life and that they will be free to the public, with governments covering the costs with their budgets.

“As more and more communities take steps to integrate autonomous vehicles, we will continue to advance mobility solutions that best meet those evolving needs while embracing the highest safety standards on the market,” said Popple. New York, California and Arizona are also accepting applications for autonomous vehicle testing. While battery-powered transit vehicles represent just 1% of the market, Popple has claimed that electric buses are currently cheaper than diesel and CNG and could rule the transit bus market within the next decade.

Automated and battery-powered vehicles are disrupting the transportation industry. Projects like this have an exciting future but there is still much development to be done. Companies who are helping to solve issues in this space can benefit from the R&D tax credit. Contact Swanson Reed R&D tax specialists to see if your activities qualify.