Photo courtesy of Michigan State University.

This month, Michigan State University introduced an electric autonomous bus — one of the largest electric autonomous transit vehicles to be deployed in the U.S. to date. The bus will serve students, staff and faculty, and the general public beginning in early 2022 as part of the campus’ smart mobility ecosystem.

The pilot is a collaboration between MSU; ADASTEC, a San Francisco-based company that develops advanced automated transportation platforms for full-sized commercial vehicles; Karsan, a Turkish bus manufacturer; and the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, which awarded the pilot a $100,000 grant that made the partnership possible. Over the coming months, the pilot will undergo intense on-campus testing and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration validation of the bus, route, and supporting infrastructure.

“The mobility space is a core focus at MSU and we continue to seek out partnerships that accelerate our research and development efforts and enhance the mobility landscape not only on our campus but throughout our beautiful state and the country,” said MSU President Samuel Stanley, Jr., M.D. “This new autonomous bus symbolizes the types of advancements we’ve made at Michigan State to be on the cutting edge of the transportation of tomorrow.”

Fast facts about MSU’s electric autonomous bus:

• Offers Level 4 autonomy – meaning it can operate without any human interaction.
• To ensure safety, a trained operator will be behind the wheel at all times.
• Its cloud-based platform supports data sharing, mission control, and fleet management operations.
• Before the bus will accept passengers, it will have finished approximately 630 test trips on campus.
• Traffic lights along the route will be controlled through intelligent roadside units and communicate with the bus.

To learn more about MSU Mobility initiatives and its advanced expertise in mobility technology, visit www.mobility.msu.edu.

Enterprise is working to eliminate the headache of returning your rental car by testing an Automated Valet Parking (AVP) that would eliminate queuing up your car and waiting for an attendant. The tests are taking place at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab located in Bedrock’s The Assembly parking garage in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood.

The lab is an innovation and collaboration site open to the mobility industry for real-world testing for parking-related mobility, logistics, and electric vehicle charging. Bosch, Ford, Bedrock, and the State of Michigan are participating in the project, which is operated by the American Center for Mobility (ACM).

“What we're trying to do here is create an open innovation platform for parking with inspired mobility technologies business models, that sort of thing—EV charging infrastructure, automated movement of vehicles in a low-speed environment, camera technologies, payment systems, curbside monetization,” said Kevin Mull, Connected Mobility Services at Bosch.

Toyota announced a $6 million expansion of its commitment to the Ypsilanti American Center for Mobility (ACM), more than doubling its initial $5 million commitment in 2017. Toyota plans to use ACM as a research and development hub for future advanced and automated driver assistance technologies.

The investment will include increased testing resources at ACM and access to exclusive on-campus facilities. Toyota will also have access to office workspaces and build-outs of vehicle labs in a brand-new section of the mobility campus.

“Toyota will further capitalize on ACM’s unique combination of world-class testing facilities and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) – including customizable low-speed urban environments and a high-speed highway loop – to accelerate our technology development,” said Monte Kaehr, group vice president of Toyota Motor North America’s Advanced Mobility Research and Development.

The Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) have partnered to launch the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform aimed at providing vital grant funding to mobility and electrification companies of all sizes looking to deploy their technology in Michigan. Grants are focused on catalyzing and scaling mobility solutions across three key areas of focus:

• Sustainable Futures: Improve environmental sustainability by encouraging EV adoption and the buildout of EV charging infrastructure
• Equitable Futures: Alleviate mobility barriers and increase access to affordable and reliable transportation options
• Multimodal Transportation: Modernize existing transportation systems and keep Michigan at the forefront across all connected and autonomous transportation modes

For Michigan-based entities working to address a mobility/electrification challenge or solution providers looking to find a Michigan-based partner, additional Interest Forms are also now available to support those both seeking and providing solutions through the Michigan Mobility Funding Platform.

The monthly podcast featuring Trevor Pawl and expert guests is looking at how technology will inevitably change our lives and the things we can do now to be prepared. Now available on The Great Voice and Spotify!

• Michigan Mobility Funding Platform – Test site deployments and real-world deployments 
• Plug and Play Tech Center Detroit powered by AmplifyD – Resources for startups looking to reach OEMs and Tier 1 Suppliers 
• Michigan EGLE: Charge Up Michigan – Opportunity for funding 
• Ongoing Funding Opportunities through NextEnergy

• November 16-18: CoMotionLA
• November 17-18: Automobility LA
• November 18-19: 2021 Michigan Ross School of Business Future of Mobility Conference
• November 19-29: Los Angeles Auto Show
• November 30: From Seed to Scale: Exploring the Fundraising Journey
• January 5: COVESA 10th Annual CES Networking Reception
• January 5-8: CES 2022
• January 9-15: Expo 2020 Mobility Trade Mission

GM And EVgo Boost Fast Charger Build Out Plan To 3,250 Stalls
InsideEVs
EVgo announced that its agreement with General Motors on fast-charging infrastructure deployment in the U.S. has been noticeably expanded. The deal from Summer 2020 was to build 2,750 individual high-power individual charging stalls (up to 350 kW) by the end of 2025. The first units were installed in 2021 although the initial progress was kind of laggy. The boosted build plan includes 500 additional chargers (18% more) for a total of 3,250 in 52 metropolitan markets within the same timeframe.

Stations that are part of the program were already installed in eight states, including in Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Colorado, and North Carolina. In the near future, the program will also include Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas.

Meet the Founder of a Black-Owned Self-Driving Vehicle Startup That Mobilizes Healthcare Services
Black Enterprise
Frederick Akpoghene is the founder of JéGO Technologies, Inc., a Black-owned designer, and manufacturer of autonomous vehicles including self-driving pods that make it easy to connect consumers with services and products on the go; and will open their crowdfunding campaign on Start Engine for micro angel investors to invest in the same playing field as venture capitalists. JéGO also has a mobile platform, where users will be able to discover businesses that provide high-demand services, such as Flu Testing, COVID testing, IV therapy, and that of other local businesses, which can be brought directly to their customers using the driverless JéGO pods. Their patent-pending flagship prototype that was designed by the founder of JéGO himself.