Connected Vehicles
By combining wireless communication with transportation systems, connected-vehicle technology promises significant improvements in vehicle safety, mobility, and personal convenience.

Click to learn more about connected vehicles and the technologies and applications that drive them >>
Connected Vehicle Proving Center - Driving Connected Vehicle Innovation

Overview

Road transportation is undergoing a significant technological transformation with wireless communication enabling vehicles to communicate with other vehicles and with the infrastructure, thereby improving safety, mobility, vehicle performance, and personal convenience. To create an environment in which to develop, test, and showcase these emerging technologies, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), with support from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), provided the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) with a grant for developing the Connected Vehicle Proving Center (CVPC). The CVPC tests, evaluates, and showcases connected vehicle systems by integrating connected vehicles, smart roadway infrastructure, and a broad range of telecommunication technologies, as well as provides expertise in evaluation design, data storage and analysis, and information sharing.

Ultimately, by providing a shared test and evaluation environment that can be accessed by vehicle manufacturers, parts suppliers, transportation agencies, and telecommunications companies, the CVPC serves as a catalyst for growing the connected vehicle industry and a magnet for attracting technical and engineering jobs supporting automotive electronics and communications technology innovations in the State of Michigan.

Our Vision

The CVPC envisions a world in which wireless vehicle communication improves all aspects of the travel experience, including safety, mobility, environmental impact, and quality of life.

Our Mission

The mission of the CVPC is to operate the CVPC as the global center of excellence to accelerate the identification, evaluation, and deployment of connected vehicle solutions.

Who We Are

While the University of Michigan-Dearborn is the host organization in the development of the CVPC, numerous other public- and private-sector organizations play critical roles. These include the Connected Vehicle Trade Association (CVTA), which represents many of the companies creating connected vehicle technologies and applications, automotive manufacturers and suppliers, telecommunications firms, and consumer electronics firms, as well as public-sector transportation agencies, most notably MDOT and the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC). These partners share a vision of improving vehicle transportation through connected vehicle technology and are working to make the CVPC the place to test, evaluate, and showcase these technologies.

Learn more about our partners and partnership opportunities.

What We Do

The three core elements of the CVPC are a network operating center (NOC), a customer-service function, and a connected-vehicle showcase. First, the NOC provides networking portals and Internet backhaul support to a full range of telecommunications pipelines that connect vehicles to the CVPC and to integrated test environments. The NOC is also the home for a comprehensive test and evaluation suite that includes data storage, real-time data access, and analysis tools that provide customers with the applications and professional services for testing and validating connected vehicle systems and components. Second, the CVPC assists with linking its private- and public-sector partners with appropriate equipment and operational environments for testing their connected vehicle products and services. Third, the CVPC serves as a showcase for demonstrating the capabilities of connected-vehicle systems to the VII industry and beyond.

Learn more about the services offered by the CVPC.