With Toyotas support, the AACVTE, housed at the University of Michigan, will remain the flagship for connected vehicle and infrastructure deployment and research in the world. (PRNewsfoto/Toyota Motor North America)
You have probably heard about the automobile giant Toyota, which has many times held the first place for the most sold cars over the past decade. Aside from the automobile industry, Toyota is also active in the cultural community and sustainable technologies.
The best way to see this is through the Toyota and Lexus brands, which are continuously innovating the space. Both of the brands are centered around world-class design, engineering as well as assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America.
Toyota’s development branch, named Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (TMNA R&D) is now focused on repurposing next-generation cars and making them more than just a form of transformation. The aim is to make every car connected and include autonomous vehicle features – for which the giant has been awarded more than 1,400 patents.
The newest project for Toyota in this field comes along with a partnership with the University of Michigan and its Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) in which Toyota is pioneering a new way of transportation that will be safe and sustainable for the entire society.
As you may not know, UMTRI has been actively working in this field and is backed by a multi-million-dollar research program with a lot of facilities, collaborators and high-quality researchers which are centered around solving critical transportation issues. As a leader in connected-vehicle research, UMTRI aims at sustainable mobility systems, transportation data fusion and analysis as well as efficient movement of heavy freight.
Earlier this year, Toyota and Lexus announced their plans to deploy their Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) systems on all vehicles that will be sold in the US from 2021. In latest news, Toyota began inviting its (more than 18,000) R&D team members who are based in the Washtenaw County to bring their vehicles and have them equipped with the latest technology and connected systems.
As the Vice President of Electronics Systems at Toyota Motors North America Wayne Powell said:
We believe this represents a significant step forward in creating a safer and more efficient driving ecosystem while advancing connected and automated technology.”