What’s next in transportation?
Tom Fisher believes the car industry stands at the brink of an automation revolution. It’s poised to transform itself from a primarily goods-producing industry—making and selling vehicles that we own and operate—to a primarily service-providing industry, offering us mobility whenever and wherever we need it. The impact of The Automation Revolution on infrastructure will be equally remarkable, he writes in a Future of Mobility article. The infrastructure investments we make today will need to accommodate the demands of a mobility services future, long before our roads and bridges, highways, and parking ramps come to the end of their useful lives.
These mobility services will need to work even in harsh weather conditions. Rajesh Rajamani and other U researchers are exploring solutions for reliable autonomous vehicle operation in winter using a combination of sensors on the MnCAV test vehicle. In Addressing Challenges for Autonomous Vehicles on Winter Roads, Rajamani says development of these systems should run parallel to the work being conducted in sunny weather locations by many companies. He also recommends that Minnesota laws allow for testing autonomous technologies on our roads.
The Future of Mobility series collects the perspectives of top U researchers and other national experts. Authors scan the horizon, reflect on critical transportation topics, and recommend action steps for public officials and policymakers.
—Pam Snopl, CTS senior editor
