The state of Michigan today announced a partnership with the Ontario government to advance automotive and mobility technologies across the border.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) along with Ontario’s Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network (AVIN) and Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation will begin a multi-year effort to deploy "smarter" and "greener" technologies at the border. MDOT and AVIN will explore the implementation of a cross-border, multimodal testbed for advanced automotive and mobility solutions, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
“Michigan is continuing to lead the way in developing, testing and deploying the solutions that will drive the future of transportation and we are excited to partner with the AVIN team in Ontario to secure the Michigan-Ontario border as the place where cross-border innovations in transportation are born,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a statement.
The collaboration between Michigan and Ontario will seek to meet the following goals:
- Identifying the potential economic, social, and environmental benefits from increased collaboration in mobility technologies between Ontario and Michigan.
- Identifying issues and challenges for both people and goods related to specific types of border crossing (by land, air, and water) and how mobility technologies could offer solutions.
- Exploring the regulatory and policy considerations involved.
- Developing a roadmap for implementation, including steps to establish multimodal cross-border pilots for mobility technologies.
In 2017, Michigan and Ontario collaborated on North America’s first cross-border automated vehicle test drive.
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SOURCE: Michigan Economic Development Corporation
