A Michigan driverless car testing facility has recently been opened to allow drivers test autonomous features under difficult conditions. The facility will provide drivers with self-driving cars a platform to test the autonomous features for various driving scenarios.
The $110 million self-driving car facility opened by the American Center for Mobility (ACM) is located on the site that was once the official assembly plant for General Motors in Michigan. On this 500 acre facility, companies like Toyota and Visteon, supplier of automotive parts and systems, have already started test drives.
The ACM facility is stowed with a multitude of simulated scenarios and environments to facilitate test drives for driverless cars in addition to a 2.5-mile highway loop, various intersections, roundabouts, two double overpasses, and a 700-foot curved tunnel. As Michigan is experiencing a series of snowstorms, the opening of the Michigan driverless car testing facility will help drivers easily execute tests in bad weather.
Since autonomous vehicles have a weakness when it comes to driving in bad cold weather due to the sensor’s inability to respond to snowy and wet conditions, it is important to test driverless cars in these conditions to learn from the technology and improve areas that require attention. Visteon is already testing and verifying its premiere self-driving technology platform, Drivecore, while Toyota has made use of the facility to train drivers and provide orientation.