The PlanetM Mobility Grant program is designed to help mobility companies with the resources needed to deploy their technologies in Michigan, and optimize the movement of people, goods and data to create greater access to mobility solutions. PlanetM has invested $1.5 million into more than 20 mobility startups looking to test, refine and deploy their technologies in Michigan since its inception, signaling its commitment to ensuring the future of mobility takes place in Michigan.

Learn more about each of our PlanetM Mobility Grant recipients and their mobility pilots at PlanetM.com.

Retrofitted Honda Minivans to Transport Detroiters for COVID-19 Testing

Honda Motor Company recently delivered 10 modified Odyssey minivans to Detroit to safely transport healthcare workers and people at risk for COVID-19 for testing. The vans have been retrofitted with a plastic barrier and a modified ventilation system to maintain an air pressure differential between the front and rear seating areas to reduce the risk of virus transmission.

Officials from the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit approached Honda about the possibility of acquiring the vehicles for Detroit after seeing similarly equipped vehicles modified in Japan. The vehicles will help thousands of Detroiters without transportation gain access to coronavirus testing, allowing Michigan to continue making significant strides toward a state of recovery.

Updates from the American Center for Mobility (ACM)

ACM APPOINTS NEW CEO
After a nationwide search, ACM has selected Reuben Sarkar as president and CEO, effective May 4, 2020. Sarkar will oversee the strategic direction of the award-winning smart city test center, work with the board of directors to accelerate the center’s ongoing development in the areas of mobility technology testing, standards, research and education and engage with government and mobility industry stakeholders.

ACM SMART CITY TEST CENTER REOPENING
ACM’s Smart City Test Center has reopened for outdoor connected and autonomous vehicle test activities in alignment with CDC guidelines and the State of Michigan Executive Order 2020-77. Engineering services are available to assist in getting projects back on track and help in achieving near-term test goals including customized planning, to full test execution. To ensure the health and safety of all ACM customers and employees during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, onsite activities are limited to outdoor track environments with proper social distancing.

To book track time or learn more about ACM test services and equipment rental, visit www.acmwillowrun.org or to talk directly with an ACM Technical Sales Manager please contact Kevin Kelly: kevin.kelly@acmwillowrun.org.

Reminder: Currently Accepting Applications for PlanetM Testing Grant

Accelerate your company’s mobility innovation by accessing Michigan advanced testing facilities including:
• Mcity at the University of Michigan
• ACM
• GM Mobility Research Center at Kettering University
• Michigan Unmanned Aerial Systems Consortium
• Keweenaw Research Center at Michigan Technological University

Testing grant applications are evaluated on a rolling basis. To learn more or to apply, visit https://www.planetm.com/test-and-pilot/.

In Case You Missed It

PLANETM VIRTUAL MOBILITY MEETUP
PlanetM and the Detroit Regional Chamber hosted its first virtual Mobility Meetup on Thursday, May 7, connecting industry peers for an engaging discussion from guest speaker Mark de la Vergne, chief of mobility innovation for the City of Detroit. Unable to join? Listen to the recording here, and stay tuned for details on our next meetup.

PLUG AND PLAY CXO ROUNDTABLE
Hear from mobility industry executives at BorgWarner and Lear who shared their best practices earlier this month during the virtual CXO roundtable. Watch the video here.

Mobility Resources

READ THE LATEST FROM BOBBY CHASNIS, DIRECTOR, PMBC
Supporting communities in need while generating new business state-wide

READ THE LATEST MCITY WHITEPAPER 
Conducting the Mcity ABC Test: A Testing Method for Highly Automated Vehicles

Stay Connected

Browse the latest virtual events, online programs and webinars to keep you and your teams engaged.

VIRTUAL EVENTS 

• EcoMotion: Virtual Startup Exhibition 2020 (May 19)
• As a partner of this year’s virtual EcoMotion event, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and PlanetM are excited to join more than 150 startups from all over the world for the EcoMotion Startup Exhibition on May 19. Throughout the virtual event, MEDC/PlanetM will have an exhibition page that will highlight Michigan’s mobility ecosystem and the resources we have to offer for startups in the mobility technology industry. Through this exhibition page, you will have the chance to schedule virtual meetings to connect with the world’s leading companies in the smart mobility sector, listen to expert discussions, explore new global markets and learn about local programs and more.
• Sundberg-Ferar: Virtual Design Conversations (12-4 p.m. ET on May 27)
• Sign up for “Virtual Design Conversations” with Sundberg-Ferar and join us for live conversation and Q&A with leaders across the creative supply chain. Come away with fresh inspiration for how you can apply the power of design in your day-to-day work.
• Quesnay’s Female Founders in Mobility 2020: Final Pitch Event (10 a.m. ET on June 3)
• More than 50 women-led startups, from 13 states within the US and 40 cities across the globe, submitted their solutions to the inaugural Female Founders in Mobility 2020 innovation competition. Join the Quesnay community to support the finalists, including former PlanetM Mobility Grant recipient, Humanising Autonomy, who will pitch their dynamic and market-ready solutions to a panel of five industry executives for prizes and potential partnership opportunities.

ONLINE PROGRAMS

• University of Michigan: Foundations of Mobility
• Join this multidisciplinary online program that provides the systems-level knowledge and skills required to address the urgent transportation challenges brought on by the complex mobility ecosystem.

WEBINARS

• Detroit Mobility Lab: The Power of the Region (11 a.m. ET on May 20)
• Hear from representatives at Acerta, Detroit Regional Partnership, Immense Simulations, WindsorEssex Economic Development Corporation and Assembly Ventures to learn more about how Detroit and Windsor-Essex together are one of the world’s premier destinations for mobility entrepreneurs to start and build companies.
• Automotive News: Congress Conversations
• In these timely and candid live interviews, running every Thursday through June 4, some of the industry’s leading executives will share their latest news, insights and strategies. Viewers will get the information they need to help their business persevere today and be positioned to emerge even stronger tomorrow.
• Detroit Regional Chamber: Tele-Town Hall Series
• The Chamber is hosting a COVID-19 Tele-Town Hall Series, with regular guest speakers including Michigan state leaders to help businesses prepare for the impact of the virus.
• Michigan Small Business Development Center: COVID-19 Conversations
• The Michigan Small Business Development Center is hosting a series of webinars for small business owners to hear from experts on a variety of topics relating to running a small business.

In The News

Virus adds hurdles for startups path
Mobility startups already face financial uncertainties and long-term viability challenges. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, these startups face additional barriers to their success.

UPS and DroneUp team up to test drone delivery of medical supplies
Drone-assisted deliveries have often been thought of as the future, but a recent partnership between United Parcel Service (UPS), Workhorse Group, DroneUp and the Virginia Center for Innovative Technology has proven that future is now. Virginia Beach-based drone solutions company DroneUp created a three-day simulation with its partners to collect data and evaluate the drone industry’s ability to use unmanned aerial systems to deliver testing or treatment as part of the U.S. coronavirus response.

Contactless delivery using self-driving cars coming to Irvine, CA amid coronavirus
Pony.ai, a Chinese startup company, plans to start delivery services with its autonomous vehicles. The program will take place in Irvine, California, via a partnership with Yamibuy, an e-commerce business based in Los Angeles. It’ll focus on essential goods and groceries. Pony.ai said its services will provide much-needed additional capacity to fulfill orders.

Nuro Driverless Vehicles Become Robot Pack Mules For California COVID-19 Medical Centers
Silicon Valley startup Nuro is deploying some of its small robotic delivery vehicles to haul critical supplies for medical staff and patients at two temporary California facilities. Nuro is making contact-free deliveries using its unmanned R2 vehicles to doctors and nurses staffing defacto hospitals set up at a former NBA arena in Sacramento and a converted multipurpose center in San Mateo. The compact rectangular, electric vehicles are about half the size of a conventional car, resembling windowless, rolling toasters. They’re designed solely to haul goods, and have no seating or internal driving controls for humans.

Uber partners with CloudTrucks to help drivers get trucking jobs
Uber has partnered with trucking startup CloudTrucks to make it easier for its ride-hail drivers to get jobs as truckers during the pandemic. Through software and data science, CloudTrucks aims to reduce operating costs for truck drivers and improve revenue, cash flow and costs.

Pittsburgh’s airport is the first in the US to use UV-cleaning robots
Pittsburgh International Airport has put UVC fixtures on its floor-cleaning robots, making it the first airport in the US to test the use of the ultraviolet rays to scrub the coronavirus from surfaces. If effective, the UV-cleaning robots could be a model for other airports as they plan to reopen and try to persuade people to travel again.

Intel buys Moovit transit app for $900 mln to help develop robotaxis
Chipmaker Intel Corp has acquired Israeli public transit app developer Moovit for about $900 million to expand its portfolio of self-driving technologies. The deal will help Intel’s autonomous driving unit Mobileye develop services like self-driving “robotaxis” by using traffic and public transportation data collected from Moovit’s more than 800 million users in 102 countries.

Stay connected to the resources dedicated to the evolution of transportation mobility by visiting PlanetM.com. If you’re a company with autonomous, connected, electric or shared transportation technologies interested in tapping into PlanetM’s collaborative work space, visit PlanetMLandingZone.com.