NEW YORK, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The University of Michigan today opened M-City, the
world's first controlled environment specifically designed to test
the potential of connected and automated vehicle technologies that
will lead the way to mass-market autonomous vehicles. READ MORE
Verizon is among 15 'leadership circle' companies, which include
some of the world's top automakers, insurance and tech giants, who
have joined forces with the university to help fuel research,
development and innovation in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-
to-infrastructure communications.
Amit Jain, director of corporate
strategy, IoT verticals at Verizon, emphasizes that the convergence
of public and private collaboration is the key ingredient needed to
advancing innovation in telematics as part of the internet of
things (IoT) ecosystem.
"Placing the onus on OEMs only to deploy technologies such as
Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), for example, could
take up to 37 years according to the National Highway Safety
Administration (NHTSA). That's why creating opportunities like
M-City to pool research and share best practices to expedite
innovation is so important."
Jain also says that consumer expectations for increasing
integration between mobility and IoT-enabled solutions are another
key factor.
"Consider the fact that there are more than 30,000 fatalities in
the US annually caused by vehicle accidents – of which 14 percent
of those fatalities involve pedestrians. As part of our
participation in M-City, we will be involved in tailored research
to explore how smart phones can be used to further enhance
vehicle-to-pedestrian communications."
With Verizon Telematics, the company has a broad set of
capabilities which include embedded technologies for automakers
including Mercedes Benz and
Volkswagen in addition to aftermarket and fleet management services
whose clients include State Farm, the State of Wyoming's Department of
Administration and Information and the Oregon Department of
Transportation (ODOT).
Earlier this month, ODOT kicked off the state's new pay-by-the
mile road usage program welcoming drivers to enroll online as of
July 1. Officially coined OreGo, this
new pay-per-mile program is now available to Oregonians as an
alternative means of collecting revenue for road improvements.
Verizon Telematics is part of the new program "test drive," which
is open to 5,000 vehicles statewide on a voluntary basis.
OreGo leverages Verizon Telematics In-Drive® service which was
on display at the M-City unveiling. Launched in 2011, In-Drive has
logged more than 3 billion miles nationwide since inception.
Verizon's connected vehicle capabilities also include Verizon
Auto Share, a car sharing app allowing drivers to rent and share
vehicles anytime; as well as Networkfleet's Driver ID, allowing
fleet managers to know which driver is operating which vehicle at
all times – automatically.
Visit Verizon Telematics to learn more about the next generation
of connected vehicle services.
Contact: Marie McGehee
marie.mcgehee@verizon.com
Video - http://youtu.be/fsyAr_VLQ_E
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SOURCE Verizon