Dataspeed, an autonomous vehicle engineering provider, in partnership with AM General, Comet Mobility, Easterseals, and Michigan State University, has received a $1.77 million grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation. The grant was awarded to the winners of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) 2020 Michigan Mobility Challenge, which is dedicated to developing autonomous vehicles to shuttle NAIAS 2020 attendees. The Dataspeed-led team was chosen as one of only two autonomous airport-to-downtown route solution providers.
Select attendees can catch a ride in the autonomous shuttles from the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) to downtown Detroit during the NAIAS media days that take place from June 8 through June 11, 2020. The vehicles will demonstrate navigating both busy city streets, as well as highway-speed traffic at varying levels of autonomy.
The autonomous shuttles, which Dataspeed will engineer on the AM General MV-1 platform, will be designed with the latest safety-focused technology. The MV-1 is the only commercial vehicle that was designed and built specifically for wheelchair accessibility from the ground up. Each shuttle will be equipped with industry-leading vehicle software and sensors, including several forms of LiDAR, RADAR, GPS, and cameras, to appropriately detect, predict, and react during the pre-planned route. Additional safety measures will include qualified safety drivers and driver override settings.
