Michigan receives $9.6 million U.S. grant for connected vehicle research

The Federal Highway Administration said it awarded a $9.58 million grant to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to conduct connected-vehicle technology research.

The university’s Transportation Research Institute will use the money to prepare the city’s infrastructure for vehicle technology testing and deployment under the Ann Arbor Connected Environment Reimagined project, according to a statement Thursday by the federal agency.

The grant comes from the Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation program, which funds safety and efficiency innovation projects in the U.S.

The Michigan project will use cellular vehicle-to-everything technology, a wireless communication tool.

“Connected vehicle technologies are a key tool for getting to zero deaths on America’s roadways. … The University of Michigan will help explore vehicle technologies of the future to help us meet this goal,” Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in the statement.

The Ann Arbor Connected Environment collects mobility data from around the city, according to the university’s website.