U-M will host largest-ever road test of ’smart car’ technology

DATE: 10 a.m. Aug. 21, 2012

EVENT: The University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute will host U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and industry and community leaders to launch the deployment of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot.

This first-of-its-kind effort will test a Wi-Fi-like technology that allows vehicles and highway infrastructure to communicate with each other and could help reduce crashes and improve traffic congestion.

The U-M Transportation Research Institute will conduct the year-long project in Ann Arbor where nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication devices will "talk" to each other and highway infrastructure to prevent crashes.

PLACE: U-M Transportation Research Institute, 2901 Baxter Road, Ann Arbor

MEDIA: Fully equipped vehicles will be on display, along with the vehicle-to-infrastructure communication equipment. Interested members of the media will have the opportunity to experience the technology while riding with professional drivers. To sign up for a demonstration, Troy Green at (202) 366-9550 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

INFORMATION: Francine Romine, UMTRI, (734) 763-4668 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

U-M Sustainability fosters a more sustainable world through collaborations across campus and beyond aimed at educating students, generating new knowledge, and minimizing our environmental footprint. Learn more at sustainability.umich.edu.