ANN ARBOR, MI — One truck and engine maker along with a host of automotive and technology companies are supporting a new test site for connected and automated vehicles that had its grand opening on Monday.

MCity is the University of Michigan’s 32-acre simulated urban and suburban environment that features a network of roads with intersections, traffic signs and signals, streetlights, building facades, sidewalks and construction obstacles.

Operated by university’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC), the public-private research and development partnership aims to develop a commercially viable system of connected and automated driverless vehicles. A key goal is to implement a connected and automated mobility system on the streets of southeastern Michigan by 2021.

Fifteen companies, including Navistar, are investing US$1 million in MCity over the next three years, along with Delphi Automotive, DENSO, General Motors, Iteris, Qualcomm Technologies, Verizon and others. There are 33 other companies that are contributing US$150,000 annually over the next three years.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Navistar to leverage our leadership in connected vehicle technologies and collaborate with others in the industry to make connected transportation a reality,” said Denny Mooney, Navistar group vice president, global product development. “The innovation of today’s connected vehicle technologies will drive significant improvements in the way people, goods and services move throughout society-and we’re proud to play an important role in this transformation.”

Mcity allows researchers to simulate the environments where connected and automated vehicles will be most challenged. Even seemingly minor details a vehicle might encounter in urban and suburban settings have been incorporated into Mcity, such as road signs defaced by graffiti and faded lane markings.

The types of technologies that will be tested at the facility include connected technologies – vehicles talking to other vehicles or to the infrastructure, commonly known as V2V or V2I – and various levels of automation all the way up to fully autonomous, or driverless vehicles.

“We believe that this transformation to connected and automated mobility will be a game changer for safety, for efficiency, for energy, and for accessibility,” said Peter Sweatman, director of the U-M Mobility Transformation Center. “Our cities will be much better to live in, our suburbs will be much better to live in. These technologies truly open the door to 21st century mobility.”