Ford Mobility Research in the Michigan Central Mobility Innovation District
Ford Motor Company is committed to creating mobility solutions that improve the way people and goods move.
The Michigan Central mobility innovation district provides an environment for Ford and its partners to develop, test and launch innovative technologies and solutions that solve real world mobility challenges.
As part of Ford’s ongoing research, we will begin operating two low-speed shuttles in the Michigan Central development impact area to map and gather data to better understand the mobility environment, such as traffic patterns. The team will test Monday to Friday during the day and evening to capture a diverse set of data, and the shuttles will be driven manually by a human driver.
In addition to this research project, Ford and Michigan Central are partnering with mobility companies to launch pilots that explore solutions for transportation challenges in the neighborhoods surrounding Michigan Central. Click here if you are interested in participating in one of the upcoming pilots.
If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to: questions@michigancentral.com.
FAQ:
- Why is Ford conducting this research? This research is part of our team’s ongoing work to develop mobility solutions that improve the way people and goods move. The Michigan Central mobility innovation district also plays a key role in developing these solutions by providing Ford with an environment to research.
- Where are you operating this vehicle? We are operating this vehicle within the Michigan Central development impact area. Residents could expect to see the vehicle in and around this area during the day and evening hours.
- Why are you operating during the evening? This research is meant to understand the diverse conditions of the roads at all times of the day so that our team has a rich set of data to learn from.
- How many of these vehicles will you be operating? During this phase of research, we will be operating up to 2 low-speed shuttles.
- How fast will you be going? We will be operating at low speeds, up to 25 mph.
- What type of data are you gathering? We are not gathering any personally identifiable data. All of the data collected will help us understand traffic patterns and the environment.
- Are you operating this vehicle autonomously? No. We are operating this shuttle with a human driver.
- Will you operate it autonomously at a later date? As we develop a comprehensive understanding of the area, Ford will be able to determine the next phase of testing and will share those details with the community at a later date.
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