Cars that refuse to crash. Cruise control systems that automatically adjust to highway conditions. Vehicles that issue oncoming traffic alerts. These and other mobile wireless applications are in the blueprint stages now. And in the near future, more of them could be developed and tested at U-M Dearborn's Connected Vehicle Proving Center (CVPC).

"As we move from gas engines and mechanical transmissions to electrical engines and transmissions, automotive manufacturers have the opportunity to design cars in a whole new way," says CVPC Co-Director Dr. Steve Underwood. "For most of them, the roadmap leads to vehicles that basically drive themselves through the use of wireless connectivity technologies. Our objective is, first, to support innovation in vehicle computing and communications by providing research expertise and test facilities. Second, we're here to serve as a linchpin in the development of a revolutionary, paradigm-shifting and potentially very large new industry in Michigan."

The Center was one of the winning concepts in a 21st Century Jobs Fund competition sponsored in 2006 by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The proposal, submitted jointly by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) and the Connected Vehicle Trade Association, netted $3.15 million in grants and an equal amount in matching funds.

As Udi Naamani, co-director of CVPC, explains, "The challenge is to create a self-sustaining organization funded by grants and dedicated to providing services that directly stimulate economic development in southeastern Michigan. In our case, the emphasis is on inter-connected vehicle communications powered by technologies such as Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET), Directed Short-Range Communications (DSRC) and Long-Term Evolution (LTE). In essence, we're establishing an engagement hub for developing future technologies related to safe vehicles and roads."

By 2007, the Center was operating within CAR's facilities in Ann Arbor. This past year, it relocated to the Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems Building at U-M Dearborn, which features state-of-the-art indoor laboratories and-through partnerships with industry and government-offers access to private proving grounds and outdoor radio ranges.

As a driver of economic development, the CVPC will support research-and generate an infrastructure for business development-by providing one-of-a-kind wireless testing capabilities along with a cadre of highly skilled automotive engineers and scientists. The Center for Automotive Research will continue to support the CVPC in joint projects and other activities.