November 28, 2024

• 

[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor Group on Oct. 25 announced it is investing US$5 million to build an autonomous and connected vehicle testing facility by the American Center for Mobility. 

The new R&D and testing site, which will be constructed in Ypsilanti Township in Michigan, will help the auto giant to develop future mobility technology, while strengthening partnership with other carmakers, according to Hyundai. 

Including the Hyundai funding, the ACM facility has raised a total of US$101 million out of estimated US$135 million to develop the 2 million square meters site. Earlier this year, both Ford Motor and Toyota injected the same size of investment into the project. 

HATCI president Andy Freels (left) and John Maddox, president and CEO of ACM

“Hyundai’s investment in the ACM project strengthens our long-term commitment to the advancement of safety and mobility through automated vehicle technology,” said Andy Freels, president of Hyundai America Technical Center, in a statement. “Working together with industry, academia and government provides a collaborative environment to support new and innovative mobility solutions.”

Hyundai, as the founding member of the nonprofit government-industry organization ACM, said it will work to create government standards and regulations for future car technologies, while testing its own connected cars at the facility. 

The new center will focus on developing sensor technology and vehicle and infrastructure communication and testing vehicles under severe weather situations, among others. The first phase of the project, that includes testing and validation, product development, education and standards facility, will be finished in December. The construction is expected to be completed in 2019.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)