36 PROVING GROUNDS
VehicleDynamicsInternational.com • May/June 2020
Urban tests and auto events
The American Center for Mobility (ACM), a collaboration
between government, industry and academic
organisations, is planning to open a new event centre at
its 500-acre Willow Run site in Michigan in August 2020.
The 8,000ft2 centre can accommodate up to 500 people
and several vehicles, and will be co-located within the
smart city test centre, a space where companies can test
and demonstrate vehicle and mobility technologies in
safe and configurable environments.
The event centre will have full AV capabilities,
configurable spaces and a catering prep kitchen so it can
host a variety of events including product exhibits and
showcases, ride & drive experiences, product launch
training & demonstrations, education, training and
professional development seminars, corporate events
and symposiums, conferences, and STEM activities and
competitions.
Urban testing
Urban tests at Aldenhoven
The Aldenhoven Testing Center in Aachen, Germany has
created an urban environment comprising intersections,
straights, parking areas, pedestrian walkways and
crossings, as well as a multi-functional area. The test
environment also includes traffic lights, roundabouts,
parking areas, pedestrian crossings, bus stops and more.
The track sections are designed to be variable and can
include artificial buildings made of concrete blocks or
wood, or variable road markings, for example.
Ohio gains smart mobility centre
The Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio has opened the SMARTCenter,
built for smart mobility research, technology and testing. The 540-acre site provides
a unique testing facility for AVs and CAVs and includes a 1.2-mile high-speed
straightaway and urban network for cityscape simulations. The urban network has a
500ft diameter circle for a variety of high-traffic testing, as well as roundabouts, access
ramps and other navigational situations.
/VehicleDynamicsInternational.com