AVI—Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure

June 13, 2016

Last week I was visiting family in my home town of Motown—Detroit. Spent a few hours at Greenfield Village, reviewing how technology repeatedly changed the way we farm and move. Without machines we would not have been able to increase population as much as we have in the last hundred years.

A client I visited discussed autonomous vehicles in a fashion similar to our goal in the 60’s to put a "man on the moon and safely return to earth.” Why do it? Here we are, some 50 years later and we are about to have NASA approve commercial space travel to the moon. What good has all of that been? Mainly we learned many other things and developed new, earth-useful things, like Velcro. Our quest for autonomous vehicles will produce other benefits to software, cybersecurity, cameras, accelerometers, steering controls and more. Just wait. You’ll see. 

In the meantime, we need some places to test the vehicles. Companies are setting up test tracks at colleges and on private campuses. For several years now, a part of southeastern Michigan was instrumented for the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative and was demonstrated 2 years ago.

Driving the roads and streets in Detroit was like taking an FCA JEEP off road. They are beyond terrible. Here is an “out of the box” idea. Instead of taking corporate money and putting it into brand-spanking-new test sites, why not put some of that money into real streets in the North American home of the auto? Why not have Ford/GM/Fiat-Chrysler and all the Tier-1 suppliers in southeast Michigan get together with some infrastructure start-ups to revitalize the streets of Motown and make them shining examples of Autonomous Vehicle Infrastructure?

About the Author

Paul Menig | CEO

Paul Menig is the leader of Tech-I-M LLC, a consulting company focused on helping companies succeed by leveraging technology in their products and processes. After successfully introducing many high tech products in the corporate worlds of General Electric, Eaton and Daimler, he is now focused on savvy technology creating powerful results in companies of all sizes.

Paul also provides free counseling to a wide range of businesses as part of the non-profit organization SCORE that is associated with the Small Business Administration (SBA). Paul is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in electrical engineering and has participated in many training programs in quality, strategic planning, finance and technical areas.

Sponsored Recommendations

Tackling the Tech Shortage: Lessons in Recruiting Talent and Reducing Turnover

Discover innovative strategies for recruiting and retaining tech talent in the trucking industry at our April 16th webinar, where experts will share insights on competitive pay...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

Stop Sweating Temperature Excursions

Advanced chemical indicators give you the peace of mind that comes from reliable insights into your supply chains. Compromised shipments can be identified the moment they arrive...

How Electric Vehicles Help You Prolong the Life of Your Fleet

Before adopting electric vehicles for commercial/government fleets, prioritize cost inquiries. Maintenance is essential; understand the upkeep of EV fleets. Here’s what you need...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!