Autonomous vehicle pilot programs coming to Minnesota in 2021, council says
The proposed route for an autonomous vehicle pilot program in the city of White Bear Lake, Minnesota. (Governor's Advisory Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles 2020 annual report)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Autonomous vehicle shuttle pilot programs will begin in Minnesota this year, according to a Governor’s advisory council.
In its 2020 annual report released this week, the Governor’s Advisory Council on Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV) said it will be piloting autonomous vehicle shuttles near the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and in the city of White Bear Lake, Minn.
The report shows the White Bear Lake route will span about a mile-and-a-half, connecting the White Bear Area YMCA with an elementary school and some housing in the city.
Rochester, Minnesota will also see some autonomous shuttle pilots in 2021, targeting the Mayo Clinic and the Hwy. 52 corridor between Rochester and the Twin Cities. The council said it is working on planning such a route with communities along Hwy. 52 this year.
Autonomous technology and snowplows
In its report, the CAV council said it hopes to use CAV technology to increase safety related to the state’s snowplow fleet.
The report says the state will test communications technologies that will connect the state’s snowplow fleet.
Additionally, the CAV technology could be used to alert drivers when they are coming up on a snowplow to help them avoid crashes.
To download a copy of the 2020 Governor’s Advisory Council on Connected and Automated Vehicle’s Annual Report, visit MnDOT’s website.