Toyota backs expanded connected-car tech test in Michigan

By Stephen Edelstein April 14, 2016

2017 Toyota Corolla — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Toyota plans to undertake a massive test of communication technology that allows cars to “talk” to each other and infrastructure in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor is already a test site for vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V, sometimes called connected car tech), but Toyota claims it will undertake the largest test of this tech ever.

The Japanese carmaker will partner with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which is already testing V2V in concert with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Equipment will be placed in the cars of ordinary drivers, who will carry on as usual while researchers monitor the interactions between cars and their surroundings.

V2V uses a Wi-Fi-like medium called Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC) to allow cars to broadcast information and receive it. This supposed to provide warnings in potentially dangerous situations, like a driver approaching an intersection with limited visibility.

The company is asking employees and their families to volunteer to have “vehicle awareness devices” installed in their cars. The devices will be placed out of the way in a car’s trunk or cargo area, and consist of a small box connected to antennas on or near the rear window, and on the trunk lid or roof.

Toyota’s involvement builds on what is already known as the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment, which currently covers a portion of the city’s public roads. In 2012, UMTRI and the DOT launched the Safety Model Pilot Deployment test program in this area, spending $30 million and wrangling nearly 3,000 vehicles.

Toyota hopes to increase the fleet size to 5,000 vehicles, deploying them at the rate of 1,500 vehicles per year. It also wants to expand the test area from a designated section of northeastern Ann Arbor to the entire city.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Toyota’s LQ concept has A.I. tech that knows when you’re stressed

toyota lq concept 2019 tokyo motor show

They may be inanimate objects, but cars can have personalities. The unique way a car responds to its driver can create a bond between human and machine. But that doesn't mean future autonomous cars will be anonymous appliances, Toyota believes. Debuting at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the Toyota LQ concept is a self-driving car that uses technology to a build a personal connection with its user.

"In the past, our love of cars was built on their ability to take us to distant places and enable our adventures," Daisuke Ido, LQ development leader, said in a statement. "With the LQ, we are proud to propose a vehicle that can deliver a personalized experience, meet each driver's unique mobility needs, and build an even stronger bond between car and driver."

Cars

Next-gen Toyota Mirai confirmed despite continuing issues with hydrogen tech

dt cars top stories of 2015 2016 toyota mirai

Despite low sales owing to the slow rollout of hydrogen infrastructure, the Toyota Mirai fuel cell car isn't going away. A next-generation Mirai will bow in 2020, Toyota chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada said at a hydrogen conference in Tokyo, according to Automotive News Europe.

The current-generation Mirai first appeared in 2014, so it's about time for a new version. The Mirai was the first modern hydrogen fuel cell car intended to be sold in large numbers, but infrastructure hasn't caught up to Toyota's ambitious plans. With so few places to fill up with hydrogen, United States sales are currently limited to California. Toyota sold just 1,700 cars in the U.S. last year.

Cars

Subaru and Toyota will keep working together to create sports cars and hybrids

next generation subaru brz and toyota 86 confirmed as part of expanded partnership 2019 trd special edition

Subaru and Toyota first announced a partnership in 2005, and that joint effort went on to produce the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 sports cars. After a period of uncertainty, the two automakers confirmed that their sports cars will live on for another generation as part of an expanded partnership, which will also include additional jointly developed hybrids.

The fate of the BRZ and 86 has been unclear for some time, as both Subaru and Toyota have been mum on plans for replacements. Both cars launched for the 2012 model year (the 86 was originally sold in the United States as the Scion FR-S, as part of Toyota's now defunct "youth" brand), so they are beginning to age. But a next-generation BRZ/86 will be a priority for both automakers, according to a Toyota press release.