Premier Smart City, Peachtree Corners, Launches Test Vehicle For Use by Public to Research and Test Mobility Technology
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Peachtree Corners – the nation’s first smart city environment powered by real-world infrastructure and next-generation connectivity – today announced the addition of a mobility research and test vehicle designed to help companies and organizations develop and prove out new advanced mobility and autonomous technologies in a living laboratory environment. The Ford Edge-based test vehicle is equipped with Level 3 autonomous capabilities on an open-source platform – differentiated from other test vehicles that either only test within closed courses or are limited to a host company’s proprietary platform.

  • Companies working on full autonomous driving systems, mapping, light detection/ranging (LiDAR), cameras/computer vision, radar, V2X systems and/or data/simulation are invited to Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners to test.
  • The test vehicle will be interacting with city-owned smart infrastructure, allowing technologies to be developed with real-world scenarios, including thousands of local residents who live, work and drive alongside the vehicle.
  • The test vehicle is equipped with a large rooftop rack, giving companies the ability to attach their own LiDAR and other sensors for testing. Engineers may easily access historical AV data directly from Ford’s autonomous vehicle dataset.
  • Invaluable data from the sensors and devices on the test vehicle, as well as across city infrastructure, is analyzed and made available to engineers through the city’s central control room – giving developers a unique advantage as they work to mature new technologies.

“There have been many mobility test vehicles introduced these past several years, but at Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, companies have the opportunity to develop new technologies on an open source mobility platform alongside other emerging solutions, while also leveraging actual smart infrastructure wholly owned by the city – not proprietary, closed platforms in closed track environments,” said Brandon Branham, chief technology officer and assistant city manager of Peachtree Corners. “The Ford Edge based test platform here operates in a living lab environment alongside residents that are walking and driving on the same public street. And we’re the first city in the world to insure a public roadway for both driven and driverless vehicle activity – giving companies a true advantage as they look to learn and improve their technologies before they ‘graduate’ and scale.”

“We’re proud to have delivered multiple smart city firsts to date, and the introduction of an open-source platform for mobility research and testing is yet another milestone – giving companies the ability to develop new technologies in an actual city – complete with obstacles and everyday challenges that autonomous machines need to learn how to face,” said Brian Johnson, city manager of Peachtree Corners. “We’ve already had successful long-term tests of autonomous shuttles, Ollie, transporting residents – and we are excited to have the opportunity to have a platform that will help move the world even closer to fulfilling the vision of fully autonomous vehicles operating safely in a city.”

For more information or to schedule a briefing with city leaders, contact Peachtree@GoDRIVEN360.com.

About the City of Peachtree Corners, Georgia

As the heart of what is being called #SiliconOrchard in the metro-Atlanta region, Peachtree Corners, Georgia is a vibrant municipality that’s home to more than 45,000 residents and an innovation hub that houses some of the world’s most disruptive technology companies. As the United States’ premiere smart city – powered by real-world connected infrastructure and 5G – Peachtree Corners serves as the model for how government and private industry can better collaborate to create a better future for society and business. From the world’s first deployment of teleoperated e-scooters to fully autonomous shuttles being utilized by actual residents, and from a solar roadway to the largest electric vehicle charging hub in the region, Peachtree Corners is where the most future-forward Internet of Things (IoT) and sustainable technologies come to life for the benefit of its people, and the world.

For more information, visit http://www.peachtreecornersga.gov.

About Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners

Curiosity Lab is a 5G-enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city living laboratory located in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, a northern suburb of Atlanta. The centerpiece of the lab is a 1.5-mile test and demo track which provides a real-world environment to explore emerging technologies. Additional infrastructure includes a network operations center, smart poles, DSRC units, dedicated fiber and a 25,000 square foot tech incubator. Additional information can be found at www.curiositylabptc.com